×Level Description: "As Beethro is going back to the surface, he comes across a strange set of tunnels. They are wrecked, and it seems like an army of slayers blew through here. Oh wait, all the slayers are dead. Right?"

The Entrance
speech: "And I thought going back up would be easy."

1S - Thank you for removing the scripting. Much better now.

1S1W and 1S2W - I enjoyed the secret version where you challenged me to drop the trapdoors and kill the monsters in a single pass.

For the nonsecret version, I can see why you added all those extra trapdoors, as that makes killing all the monsters and escaping a teeny bit challenging. But dropping all the trapdoors in order to pass through the room later is tedious and not fun. I'd recommend removing the red doors from the nonsecret version.

1W - Thanks, I like this room better with real mimics.

1S1E - Thank you for removing the scripting from this room. Now it is clear from the beginning what I'll have to do. Is it okay with you that the player can kill all the goblins on the force arrows before entering the main chamber (as Jacob pointed out)? I noticed another US: you can stand on (6,5), rotate your sword to close the door, and then kill the goblins there as they come and get stuck on the force arrow. You could stop me from doing this by making the orb at (30,6) close both doors in the conquer token area.

2S - Thank you for removing the darkness from this room.

2S1W - I like that you've done something different with this secret room. It's a nice idea for a puzzle, but there's a rather unwieldy number of roaches in there. If it's possible to do that same idea with fewer roaches and a shorter adder, I think it would be more fun. In any case, it needs checkpoints. At least one in the open area close to the first pressure plate, in case the player finds he needs to kill more roaches or make the adder longer before going in there.

3S - Now not everything fries when I wait in the entrance. Challenge: pretend there's a bomb that will blow you up if you wait in the entrance and solve it in the editor without the speed potion.

Speech on the way out of the level:
"friend" "slaughter" "banished" "he killed many" "where" "reaction" "destroyed" "too much"
The cutscene continues too long after the speech part is over.

Overall, this level has gotten much better.

×Level Description: "seem"

2W - There's no need to open the yellow doors with the arrows after solving the room.

3W and 4W are still pretty similar. In 4W, there's no need to access the orbs in the middle (I can go out the way I came in) and thankfully no need to drop all those trapdoors.

Also, in 3W and 4W, you use scripting to enforce the condition that I kill the brains last. I always prefer nonscripted methods for this kind of thing. For example, you could have one brain in a force arrow trap that could only be escaped if a green door opened when I killed that brain.

×Level Description: "You descend the stairs... and descend... and descend... But finally you reach the bottom of a really deep pit."

This level is not too dark any more, but there's still too much fog for this floor type. Could you please turn the fog down a notch?

3S3E - Just a note about scripting. When you have a working set of stairs, a "go to level entrance" script is completely unnecessary.

×Entrance - Why is darkness needed in this room?

speech: "there's an old rusty keyhole" "my sword's stuck" "there is no point going back"

1N
level entrance text: "further up"
speech: "pretty sure"
scripting: why not set the stairs to the correct destination and lose the "go to level entrance" script?

2N - The clone in the northeast makes it possible to skip the second set of stairs and skip the wubba section of this room.

3N - The backtracking problem is fixed, and now I have to use the fegundo. In fact, I can use the fegundo to kill everything and ignore the clone potion.

×Thank you for removing all those ugly blue image walls and image pits. Now I can see where I'm going.

1N - Oooops! One little rectangle of blue image wall got left behind in this room.

2N
speech: "It's not my sword but it will do." "skimmies"

1N2E - I like the idea in this room, using skimmies to survive a horde of monsters. Not sure why you chose golems, though. That group of golems could be defeated safely without the help of the skimmies.

I just noticed that these skimmies are not required targets. I think you should make all skimmies required targets just so the player doesn't get too confused.

1S1E - Note that the player does not need to remove all the tarstuff when conquering the room, as he can exit back north. The skimmies were annoying here.

1S2E
speech: "I'm Areano the smitemaster."

3S2E - The force arrows and yellow door to the baby generator area are unnecessary. The one SW arrow and the black door are sufficient to force Beethro to enter the stalwart area last.

speech: "surprises"

4S2E
scroll: "subject" "never got past"

×Entrance
Did you mean "Glorthorred"? (That's another place on the official map of the Eighth.)

speech: "I've gotta warn..."

Did you mean "want smitemasters and stalwarts" or "warn smitemasters and stalwarts"?

×Level Description: "wrecked" "blew" (not blowed)

1S1W - Thank you for removing the red door.

1S1E - You've fixed my unintended solution.

2S1W - Much better, now that it has checkpoints and fewer roaches.

Speech on the way out of the level:
"really" "he killed" "destroyed"
Thank you for fixing the cutscene timing.

×This level looks pretty much done to me.

Thank you for removing the scripting from 3W and 4W.

×Thank you for turning down the fog too. Now I can see what I'm doing better.

3S3E - Just a note about scripting. When you have a working set of stairs, a "go to level entrance" script is completely unnecessary.

×Entrance
speech: "there's" "sword's" "there is no point going back"

1N
level entrance text: "further up"
speech: "pretty sure"

2N - The clone in the northeast still makes it possible to skip the second set of stairs the wubba section of this room. When ready to leave, just drink the clone potion and place the clone at (19,16).

3N - Now I have to use the clone in the south and the fegundo in the north. The arrows around the hot tile area make the fegundo part easier, as you can use arrows to stop a fegundo without exploding it.

×Thank you for removing all those ugly blue image walls and image pits. Now I can see where I'm going.

1N - Oooops! One little rectangle of blue image wall got left behind in this room.

2N
speech: "It's not my sword but it will do." "skimmies"

1N2E - I like the idea in this room, using skimmies to survive a horde of monsters. Not sure why you chose golems, though. That group of golems could be defeated safely without the help of the skimmies.

I just noticed that these skimmies are not required targets. I think you should make all skimmies required targets just so the player doesn't get too confused.

1S1E - Note that the player does not need to remove all the tarstuff when conquering the room, as he can exit back north. The skimmies were annoying here.

1S2E
speech: "I'm Areano the smitemaster."

3S2E - The force arrows and yellow door to the baby generator area are unnecessary. The one SW arrow and the black door are sufficient to force Beethro to enter the stalwart area last.

speech: "surprises"

4S2E
scroll: "subject" "never got past"

×Entrance
speech: Either "I've gotta warn..." or "I'm gonna warn..."

×
Winner of the Erik Hermansen Award for Lifetime Architectural Achievement (2008)

Smitemasters' Selections:
Beethro and the Secret Society
Smitemastery 101 (A Hold for Beginners)

Other Holds

Layout and Aesthetics Award Winner (2006):
Figure or Ground (Multi-entrance room maze)

Most Promising Hold Award Winner (2007):
The Goblin (Monster-less puzzles)

Hold of the Year and Technical Design Excellence in Concept Award Winner (2008)
Advanced Concepts - I made the Goblins, Fegundos, Eyes and Potions levels
(Tutorials and Challenges involving specific DROD elements)

Creative Design Excellence in Entertainment Award Winner (2010):
Uncle Arable's Rooms (Bite-size lynchpins)

Technical Design Excellence in Concept Award Winner (2010):
Going in Circles (An infinite loop)

Technical Design Excellence in Concept Award Winner (2012):
Advanced Concepts 2-I made the Mirrors, Stalwarts and Hub levels
(More Tutorials and Challenges involving specific DROD elements)


The Grinfidel Quadrilogy:
Labyrinthitis (DROD:AE and JtRH versions available.)
The Domain of The Grinfidel (DROD:AE and JtRH versions available.)
The Hunt for The Grinfidel
The Final Confrontation

Easy/Moderate Lynchpin Puzzles (playable in DROD:AE)
Aurora's Palace

Tough puzzles and Shapeshifting:
Choose your adventure

Reflected Rooms and Mirrors:
Reflections

More challenging puzzles:
Beethro's Generic Quest

Tar-switcher and arrow-rotator tokens.
Token Effort

Pressure Plate based puzzles:
Deconstructed Dungeon

Rooms differing by just one tile (Contest compilation):
Missing Pieces

Fun with scripting:
Beethro's Bad Dream

Other levels in Collaborative Holds
DROD 5: The Second Sky
DROD 4: Gunthro and the Epic Blunder
DROD History Month Compilation
Way Forward
Copycat Contest Compilation
Doorless Hold Compilation
Invisibility Compilation
One Room Hold Compilation
Unfortunate Architect Compilation
Lunchbreak Special
Cheap Tricks Compilation

×
First Delver! (I was the first non-tester/dev
to conquer TCB.)
d/dy

×The new 3W works fine from either entrance. It's pretty easy if you wait for most of the roaches to dies on the hot tiles before opening the door.

×Thanks for removing that scripted "go to level entrance" at the end of the level. Now we can actually see Beethro huffing his way up the stairs.

However, you've picked the wrong destination for the stairs. With the current destination, the cutscene at the beginning of The Ascent goes into an endless loop. It will work properly if you set the destination of the stairs to the level entrance which says: "*Pant* *pant* *pant* These stairs... seem longer than... that other..."

×Entrance - cutscene goes into an endless loop as described above.

2N - Now Beethro does need to walk through the wubba section. But he doesn't need to do it in the same pass as solving the room. I enter the room, switch to the clone, conquer the room using the clone, switch back to Beethro and use the stairs back down to exit. The I reenter and walk through the wubba section to get to 3N.

If you want Beethro walking in the wubba section while manipulating the mimics in the eastern section, take out the clone and the clone potion. I enjoy solving the room without clones. If you feel this is too difficult for a regular room in your hold, maybe you'd like to make a secret version of this room.

3N - You've introduced an unintended solution. Moving the arrows south created a dead end for the serpents on the hot tiles. Now I kill them by luring them into the dead end - no fegundo needed.

×1N2E - I like the idea in this room, using skimmies to survive a horde of monsters. So far, your roach and roach queen room has done this the best. The goblins you've added here don't illustrate your point any better than the previous golems did. The easiest way to solve this room is to wait in the 2-square wide entrance passageway and kill everything but the last two goblins there. Perhaps a different shape for the room might add more use for the skimmies? (You may want to experiment some. Unfortunately, my DROD crashes every time I try to copy your hold to play with it myself. The crash is a bug in the game engine, not your fault.)

Thank you for making these skimmies consistent with your other skimmies.

1S1E - Now I do have to remove the tarstuff when conquering the room.

3S2E - Thank you for removing the unnecessary scripting from this room.

4S2E
scroll: "never got past"

×Your change made this room even easier. If Beethro is invisible when he starts the room, the roaches in the middle die instantly on the hot tiles. The player doesn't even have to think about it.

×1N2E - Now the skimmies are finally helpful in solving this iteration of the room. It's a couple notches more difficult than before. I wonder if other players find it too difficult in comparison to the rest of the hold? If that's the case, you might want to swap its location with the puzzle at 3E, so it can be marked secret. The scroll about using skimmies to block monsters can stay in 1N2E, as it applies to both puzzles.

×3N - Could use some checkpoints.
I still don't understand all this stuff about the Terra Vista and the Speed Potion Factory.

×Entrance - "Alright", "Eastern section/section to the East".
1N2E - "to your advantage" makes more sense than "to your power". This room NEEDS CHECKPOINTS.
1E - there's a checkpoint over a pit for some reason.
1S1E - Didn't really have a problem with the skimmies in other rooms, but here it's really irritating not being able to see them. Please make them a bit more visible (e.g. by changing the floor slightly).
2S2E - Not hard, but it'd be nice to have some checkpoints

×
Winner of the Erik Hermansen Award for Lifetime Architectural Achievement (2008)

Smitemasters' Selections:
Beethro and the Secret Society
Smitemastery 101 (A Hold for Beginners)

Other Holds

Layout and Aesthetics Award Winner (2006):
Figure or Ground (Multi-entrance room maze)

Most Promising Hold Award Winner (2007):
The Goblin (Monster-less puzzles)

Hold of the Year and Technical Design Excellence in Concept Award Winner (2008)
Advanced Concepts - I made the Goblins, Fegundos, Eyes and Potions levels
(Tutorials and Challenges involving specific DROD elements)

Creative Design Excellence in Entertainment Award Winner (2010):
Uncle Arable's Rooms (Bite-size lynchpins)

Technical Design Excellence in Concept Award Winner (2010):
Going in Circles (An infinite loop)

Technical Design Excellence in Concept Award Winner (2012):
Advanced Concepts 2-I made the Mirrors, Stalwarts and Hub levels
(More Tutorials and Challenges involving specific DROD elements)


The Grinfidel Quadrilogy:
Labyrinthitis (DROD:AE and JtRH versions available.)
The Domain of The Grinfidel (DROD:AE and JtRH versions available.)
The Hunt for The Grinfidel
The Final Confrontation

Easy/Moderate Lynchpin Puzzles (playable in DROD:AE)
Aurora's Palace

Tough puzzles and Shapeshifting:
Choose your adventure

Reflected Rooms and Mirrors:
Reflections

More challenging puzzles:
Beethro's Generic Quest

Tar-switcher and arrow-rotator tokens.
Token Effort

Pressure Plate based puzzles:
Deconstructed Dungeon

Rooms differing by just one tile (Contest compilation):
Missing Pieces

Fun with scripting:
Beethro's Bad Dream

Other levels in Collaborative Holds
DROD 5: The Second Sky
DROD 4: Gunthro and the Epic Blunder
DROD History Month Compilation
Way Forward
Copycat Contest Compilation
Doorless Hold Compilation
Invisibility Compilation
One Room Hold Compilation
Unfortunate Architect Compilation
Lunchbreak Special
Cheap Tricks Compilation

×Yes, the ending. Now for the questions. What is the speed potion factory? What will happen with the stalwarts? Who will succeed? Find out next time.

Empire's Power series:
1. The slayer vats
2. And Beethro comes along <---- You are here.
3. The great stalwart battle
4. An old friend
5. The great colossal war