admin
Level: Legendary Smitemaster
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The Story Never Ends

This hold continues directly from The City Beneath. In fact, it's about two hours after the end of TCB.

The Hold and I

Hi there. I'm Roger, also known as Calamarain. I'm in my mid twenties, run a webcomic, love to cook, spend too long on the internet and got addicted to DROD when someone pointed me at Architect's Edition a few years ago. I've made a few holds in the past, building up to this one. I like to think of this hold as the one where I learned from the mistakes I made in my Witherwood Trilogy, and didn't repeat them. Devilishly Dangerous Dungeons of Doom is in essence a hold where every level follows a theme. I tried my hardest to make the levels as varied as possible - some rooms require no thought at all to see the solution but the trick is enacting it. And in some rooms, the opposite is true, you'll require a logical leap to figure out the way forward, but once you've got it, it's easy. On with the smiting... the story continues.

Credit Here, Credit There

While I designed the place, I only get a portion of the credit. The rest goes to some deserving folks without whom DDDD wouldn't exist. In particular, I'm grateful to the beta testers for their immeasurable help, and to mrimer who tinkered with and worked out a lot of the details. Plus thanks are always due to Erik and the Caravel Team for creating DROD in the first place.

Levels, puzzles, cover artwork and hold: Calamarain
Beta testers: CuriousShyRabbit, jbluestein, mrimer, larrymurk, Briareos, Calamarain
Hold Admins: Tim, CuriousShyRabbit, jbluestein
Scriptwriters: Calamarain, mrimer
Miscellaneous tweaks: Chaco, mrimer, Calamarain, Tim, coppro, ErikH2000

Voices In The Dark

And credit to the talented voice cast from the forum. Thanks guys!

Beethro Budkin - Snacko
Halph - coppro
The Pit Thing, Poppy Brigade - Abbyzzmal
14th Announcer, Rock Giant - Calamarain
37th Direction Giver, Museum Curator - Someone Else
Aumtlich - Rescator
Tar Technician - Pneh
Mud Coordinator - Ezlo
Golem Keeper - Elfstone

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[Last edited by mrimer at 08-25-2008 03:39 AM]

RoboBob3000
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1982
Registered: 10-23-2003
IP: Logged

Well this is a bit of a surprise. You've got us all in a tizzy about DROD RPG and then you go out and release the new SMS without us expecting it! I know what I'll be doing when I get home tonight.

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http://beepsandbloops.wordpress.com/

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3674
Registered: 10-06-2005
IP: Logged

As someone who played through and made minor contributions to this hold (nothing major, really) I can testify that this is a good hold, and a worthy addition to the Caravel canon. The first level is kind of difficult, but the puzzles are interesting and the story continues in an interesting fashion! Calamarain has made a great work.

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Quick links to my stuff (in case you forgot where it was):

fratropea
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 87
Registered: 11-05-2005
IP: Logged

Emmm...Sorry...
How do I do to download this hold?
It is not in the list of change location...

CuriousShyRabbit
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3170
Registered: 10-14-2006
IP: Logged

fratropea wrote:
Emmm...Sorry...
How do I do to download this hold?
It is not in the list of change location...

This is a Smitemasters' Selection! It joins the ranks of the other SmSs like Perfection, Beethro's Teacher, Beethro and the Secret Society... Like those other official holds, you have to purchase it before you download it.

zex20913
Level: Smitemaster

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

And in order to do that, the easiest way is to go to your "Profile" (up top...below the Caravel Forum sign.), select the "Purchases" tab, and then select and go.

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Tim
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1979
Registered: 08-07-2004
IP: Logged

Let me just add that this hold is a Smitemaster Selection, and that this is an official Caravel hold.

For people who are not familiar with Smitemaster Selections, the Smitemaster Selections are usually a bit harder (than The City Beneath), a bit smaller in size, has voice acting, and is part of the official canon.

This hold continues the story of Beethro Budkin, and starts right after the end of The City Beneath.

So, if you are interested to know what happened to Beethro after TCB, this is a must-play hold.

Link to order page: http://www.caravelgames.com/buySS.html
or the download version: http://www.caravelgames.com/buySmSDownload.html

____________________________
The best way to lose customers is to let little kids running loose on a forum with too many mod points.

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[Last edited by Tim at 07-29-2008 01:49 AM : Added the link to the download version.]

NiroZ
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1302
Registered: 02-12-2006
IP: Logged

Before (someone like me) asks, you may have to go into your purchases tab on your profile and manually select DDDD, then restart DROD, before you can play it.

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[Last edited by NiroZ at 07-29-2008 01:08 AM]

bflatjeff
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 93
Registered: 04-04-2006
IP: Logged

Woo hoo! Downloading now!
This is much looked forward to (bad grammar, and I don't care), maybe I'll be playing DROD much more now. I've been neglecting it recently, what with other stuff going on (Comic-Con...). I had figured I'd get going again with the RPG, but here's a new official hold!

BbJ

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"Stupid, stupid roach creatures!"
- Beethro Bonekin

Watcher
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 902
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

I'm currently on Mineral Museum, and so far I'm enjoying the hold a lot. I have to point one thing out, though. In Mineral Museum 3N, there's a scroll reading:

"That which begins as mud shall grow first.
That which begins as tar shall follow.
That which begins as gel must wait until last."

This is incorrect. The growth order is always first tar, then mud, then gel, regardless of any tarstuff switching that might have happened. I'm somewhat surprised that this wasn't caught in beta testing, to be honest.

____________________________
Today the refrigerator, tomorrow the world!

Jatopian
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1842
Registered: 07-31-2005
IP: Logged

That needs to be fixed before this goes to CD.

____________________________
DROD has some really great music.
Make your pressure plates 3.0 style!
DROD architecture idea generator

zex20913
Level: Smitemaster

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

Watcher wrote:
I'm currently on Mineral Museum, and so far I'm enjoying the hold a lot. I have to point one thing out, though. In Mineral Museum 3N, there's a scroll reading:

"That which begins as mud shall grow first.
That which begins as tar shall follow.
That which begins as gel must wait until last."

This is incorrect. The growth order is always first tar, then mud, then gel, regardless of any tarstuff switching that might have happened. I'm somewhat surprised that this wasn't caught in beta testing, to be honest.

In said room, turn 150 proves that mud grows before tar (no switching).
Step on the mud/gel switcher, and turn 90 proves that original tar grows before original gel.

I see nothing wrong with this scroll whatsoever.

TFMurphy told me in chat that the growth order is *always* tar, mud, gel, and then the babies spawn tar, mud, gel. Always in that order, no matter switching.

I don't think it particularly matters for this room, but it is truly misleading. I had previously thought that tarstuff had a growth order via placement order, and not via code order. I'd also thought that growth and spawning happened at the same time per tarstuff, and not growth growth growth, spawn spawn spawn.

I apologize for my misinformation.

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[Last edited by zex20913 at 07-30-2008 02:26 PM]

calamarain
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 933
Registered: 03-25-2007
IP: Logged

What would you suggest as an appropriate change? Since all we'd need to alter is the scroll, no demos would be broken.

Remove it entirely? Replace it with something less meaningful?

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My Holds

aztcg7
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 104
Registered: 03-08-2005
IP: Logged

I realize that this isn't the best place to ask a question about receiving this hold, but as other people have asked other questions relating to SmS's here, it could perhaps be a good place to get an answer. I have previously bought 4 CD SmS's. I currently don't have any downloadable credits, but I have used them before. Am I either going to have to wait for the CD in order to play this SmS, or buy another download credit? I ask because I am unable to download DDDD, but having to buy a download credit to play it before I get a CD containing it doesn't make sense to me.

____________________________
In other news, is a considerably more stylish way to express sarcasm than , because everybody uses and I am /indie/. INDIE, I TELL YOU.

NoahT
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1145
Registered: 06-17-2003
IP: Logged

Have you checked your Purchases tab, as NiroZ indicated above?

-Noah

____________________________
And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

My stuff:

aztcg7
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 104
Registered: 03-08-2005
IP: Logged

I do indeed. My purchases tab shows that "Caravel Games will send you the next 4 Smitemaster's Selection CDs. Please make sure your address is kept current in your profile." but I still can not download DDDD.

____________________________
In other news, is a considerably more stylish way to express sarcasm than , because everybody uses and I am /indie/. INDIE, I TELL YOU.

deftriver
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 77
Registered: 07-11-2007
IP: Logged

I'm loving it. (Will McDonald's be mad at me for saying that?)

I'm posting because I didn't even notice the blatant hint in Misc 2N until I was passing back through. Genius!

Watcher
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 902
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

calamarain wrote:
What would you suggest as an appropriate change? Since all we'd need to alter is the scroll, no demos would be broken.

Remove it entirely? Replace it with something less meaningful?

Well, it's a useful piece of information to have in the room, so I'd prefer to have the scroll corrected to read something like this:

"Tar grows first, followed by mud, and then by gel. Tarstuff babies always appear last."

It should be written in a way that's appropriate for the hold, of course. This isn't meant to be a literal suggestion.

____________________________
Today the refrigerator, tomorrow the world!

RoboBob3000
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1982
Registered: 10-23-2003
IP: Logged

Aah, just postmastered. Very good hold!

Beating the rooms in this hold is more a matter of experimentation than discovering the linchpin, which is a nice change of pace for SMS holds. Except for that first level, though. Wraithwing manipulation drives me mad.

While we're on the subject of scroll updating, I would recommend updating the scrolls in BBB:1N to note that you're starting the row count from the bottom, not the top.

____________________________
http://beepsandbloops.wordpress.com/

CuriousShyRabbit
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3170
Registered: 10-14-2006
IP: Logged

RoboBob3000 wrote:
While we're on the subject of scroll updating, I would recommend updating the scrolls in BBB:1N to note that you're starting the row count from the bottom, not the top.

No, that scroll doesn't need changing. Read it again more carefully. There's a couple of words you missed.

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[Last edited by CuriousShyRabbit at 08-02-2008 09:34 AM]

calamarain
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 933
Registered: 03-25-2007
IP: Logged

Quick note - the scroll in MMMMM has been changed so it's now not quite so contradictory, and a minor typo has been fixed. This should not break any demos.

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My Holds

Pneh
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 154
Registered: 09-09-2006
IP: Logged

Hey! I'm mentioned in an official hold! Yay!

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Citrus
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1230
Registered: 01-08-2006
IP: Logged

You and I are awesome in this hold Pneh, our room really pulls the whole thing together and gives it that extra "Oomph" it was lacking! Without us Calamarain is NOTHING.

/sarcasm

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Call me Citrus.

robin
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 845
Registered: 09-01-2004
IP: Logged

mastered!!!

very nice hold, I really loved it!

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slimm tom
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1240
Registered: 10-14-2006
IP: Logged

aztcg7 wrote:
I do indeed. My purchases tab shows that "Caravel Games will send you the next 4 Smitemaster's Selection CDs. Please make sure your address is kept current in your profile." but I still can not download DDDD.

E-mailing Mike would do, I had this problem too and he quickly gave me access to the SMS.

cheese obsessive
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 219
Registered: 10-10-2004
IP: Logged

I post-mastered this bad boy a few weeks ago. I don't really have much to say other than all SmS's should be like this. It was the perfect difficulty and there were a lot of great rooms.

slimm tom
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1240
Registered: 10-14-2006
IP: Logged

I started with this hold this week, and I must say it's great thus far! Like Cheese said, it is the perfect difficulty. I'm not the hardcore DRODder some of you are, but I'm just good enough to actually go through the hold by myself. I'm now puzzling my way through MMMMM, which contains some of my favorite type of rooms.

I must congratulate Snacko with his natural-sounding Beethro voice, and all other voice actors with their great voices! This hold really has the 'Caravel Hold' feeling which much of us have known to love. This is of course mainly created by Calamarain's fantastic architecture, which shines of good thought and great care.

I absolutely love the lynchpins, and I liked the first level, because it actually learned me something about wraithwings, especially brained ones. I also liked the River Dugan-like waterskipper-management puzzle in Twice South, Once West. I got this feeling of accomplishment when I figured out how to get an un-brained waterskipper to be left behind and follow me to the green door.

MMMMM contains some clever tarstuff puzzles, which are some of my favorite elements. I liked Thrice North, Once West, which had the very clever idea of clearing the room from 4 sides, without being repetitive.

That's it for now, reporting back when I conquered some more rooms.

Blondbeard
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1486
Registered: 03-31-2005
IP: Logged

Nope. Not really my cup of tea. All of the rooms where okay, but there where too few rooms I really liked (like the western rooms of Great Grating Gate Gradient. Or 2E of the Cave Complex). 7 for fun, and 4 brains for difficulty.

The story was great, as usuall, as was the voiceacting (I might even like Snacko better than the original Beethro, and If there ever comes a time for a female lead character I hope Elfstone will do the voice acting). What I didn't like that much was the string of words starting with the same letter. It felt un-eightish to me. The rooted empire seems like the kind of serious burocrasy that would never combine words just for fun.

Edit: I must be nuts when it comes to difficulty, but when I think of playing this hold, and KDD without a clock I'd say KDD is considerably more difficult.

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[Last edited by Blondbeard at 08-29-2008 08:51 AM]

calamarain
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 933
Registered: 03-25-2007
IP: Logged

Blondbeard wrote:
The story was great, as usuall, as was the voiceacting (I might even like Snacko better than the original Beethro, and If there ever comes a time for a female lead character I hope Elfstone will do the voice acting).

I quite agree, she's very multitalented.

What I didn't like that much was the string of words starting with the same letter. It felt un-eightish to me. The rooted empire seems like the kind of serious burocrasy that would never combine words just for fun.

I thought about that one actually. I didn't put it into the game, but the idea behind it was that although the Empire has a lot of very serious bureaucracy, there's always bound to be one or two individuals and free-thinkers in there, no matter how much you try and beat it out of them. They might not be able to rebel or screw with things overtly, but they can amuse themselves with pointless wordplay. Claim it's a coincidence and spend time putting puns and verbal twists everywhere while still doing their job.

As for the Museum Guy... he's just nuts

____________________________
My Holds

Kwerulous
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 340
Registered: 05-15-2008
IP: Logged

Got my CD today, and imported the hold into DROD. I can play the hold, but for some reason I cannot upload progress and get high-scores. When I go to "Change Location", it says "This Hold is not published on Caravelnet" (where you would normally rate the hold).

I asked Mike about this but he has no idea what the problem is so he suggested I ask in this topic.

Can anyone suggest what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks in advance.