Danjen02
Level: Roachling

Rank Points: 11
Registered: 11-08-2007
IP: Logged

It's kinda dead around here. I hate seeing this forum inactive, because I fear one day it'll just go away. So, any ideas how to liven it up?

____________________________
SubTerra
- Ultimate rank
- 2009 level design contest, 2nd place

The Stew Boy
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 247
Registered: 05-10-2005
IP: Logged

Recruit more people?
I still check this forum daily, but whenever I try to make a level in SubTerra I just dry out after a while and lose interest. Maybe I made too many in the last few years.

Radiant
Level: Moderator

Rank Points: 142
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

Yeah, it has been rather quiet of late. I'm not sure what to do about this; the majority of the games here are adventure games, and such games don't tend to attract a lot of forum people, I suppose because they can just read the walkthrough for most questions.

Suggestions welcome. I intend to do an official public release of Leylines some time in the near future, perhaps that'll help. Or perhaps not, I have no idea if it'll prove popular.

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= Radiant =

Danjen02
Level: Roachling

Rank Points: 11
Registered: 11-08-2007
IP: Logged

Maybe I should play Leylines a bit and see if I can find any major bugs for you to quash before then.

____________________________
SubTerra
- Ultimate rank
- 2009 level design contest, 2nd place

Radiant
Level: Moderator

Rank Points: 142
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

I'd appreciate that.

I'll probably have to change the font, at least: several people commented that it's hard to read.

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= Radiant =

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

I've never noticed this board being more active than it is now.

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The Mystic
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 18
Registered: 09-20-2006
IP: Logged

Things have been rather quiet here of late. Too quiet....

Danjen02 wrote:
So, any ideas how to liven it up?

We could revive the monthly design contest. I have a handful of level ideas that I'm (still) stuck on, and might make pretty good templates.

The Stew Boy wrote:
I still check this forum daily, but whenever I try to make a level in SubTerra I just dry out after a while and lose interest. Maybe I made too many in the last few years.

I know what you mean. For about 2 to 3 years running, it seemed like I was churning out a new level every hour on the hour. Then, starting in early 2009, I've been in what's commonly referred to as a rut. I think I only made one or two new levels last year, not counting the ones from the monthly design contest templates.

At any rate, methinks it's high time to drag the editor out of mothballs.

Radiant wrote:
I'll probably have to change the font, at least: several people commented that it's hard to read.

I can read it just fine; then again, I've met several people whose handwriting resembles barbed wire. You could always give a few font options for people to choose from, but please keep the current one available in some form.

____________________________
Either I'm crazy, or everybody else is nuts. And I know I'm not crazy because the little man who lives on my shoulder told me so.
If people don't think there's something wrong with you, there's something wrong with you.
Oh well. Another day, another dementia.

---

[Last edited by The Mystic at 06-12-2010 04:08 AM]

Danjen02
Level: Roachling

Rank Points: 11
Registered: 11-08-2007
IP: Logged

Jatopian: I think there are more people here, but the frequency of posts seemed to lapse. There were several posts a day a few months ago it seems, but recently there was a dry patch with a week between posts.

---

In any case, I should really play these games again. They're fantastic, and I feel like there's always more to do.

____________________________
SubTerra
- Ultimate rank
- 2009 level design contest, 2nd place

The Stew Boy
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 247
Registered: 05-10-2005
IP: Logged

Probably I'd be better able to make levels if I could actually complete more than a third of the ones that came with SubTerra.
(Unlike Subterra 2, for some reason - those levels seem to be easier, or something)

B.J.Earles
Level: Goblin

Rank Points: 18
Registered: 04-29-2009
IP: Logged

It looks like I've hit a dry patch too. I haven't made a level in a couple of months. I can't even seem to get started. Perhaps bringing back the monthly contest would motivate me enough to actually get something done.

The Mystic
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 18
Registered: 09-20-2006
IP: Logged

File: Player Profile.SUB (451 bytes)
Downloaded 40 times.
License: Public Domain

The Stew Boy wrote:
if I could actually complete more than a third of the ones that came with SubTerra.

Ditto. For me, this also applies to many of your levels. Don't get me wrong, though, they're all good levels; however, I've long since lost track of the number of times I've taken your name in vain. (And for the record, I mean this in a good way.)

B.J.Earles wrote:
It looks like I've hit a dry patch too. I haven't made a level in a couple of months. I can't even seem to get started. Perhaps bringing back the monthly contest would motivate me enough to actually get something done.

Well, here's something for everyone to fool around with, contest or no. It's basically a template for a SubTerra tribute level that I never got around to making. Have fun!

Danjen02 wrote:
In any case, I should really play these games again. They're fantastic, and I feel like there's always more to do.

Go for it! With all the different objects available for both ST1 and ST2, the possibilities are, quite literally, endless.

____________________________
Either I'm crazy, or everybody else is nuts. And I know I'm not crazy because the little man who lives on my shoulder told me so.
If people don't think there's something wrong with you, there's something wrong with you.
Oh well. Another day, another dementia.

Radiant
Level: Moderator

Rank Points: 142
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

Hm, maybe I should make a new puzzle game some time...

____________________________
= Radiant =

Danjen02
Level: Roachling

Rank Points: 11
Registered: 11-08-2007
IP: Logged

Go for it! I personally think SubTerra is your most iconic game, and is the reason I ended up here.

Heh, I remember back when it cost money and it was hosted on the Spiderweb site, and playing the hell out of the demo levels, but never being able to beat any of them on hard.

____________________________
SubTerra
- Ultimate rank
- 2009 level design contest, 2nd place

The Stew Boy
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 247
Registered: 05-10-2005
IP: Logged

Out of curiosity, Radiant, what's your primary source of income at the moment?

B.J.Earles
Level: Goblin

Rank Points: 18
Registered: 04-29-2009
IP: Logged

The Mystic wrote: Well, here's something for everyone to fool around with, contest or no. It's basically a template for a SubTerra tribute level that I never got around to making. Have fun!

That's awesome! Not really my cup of tea, but cool all the same.

This gives me an idea. Perhaps we could do something similar to the RPG Hold Anonymous. A level template could be divided into sections, and different people design each section. That would be tricky to pull off, but it could be fun.

Danjen02
Level: Roachling

Rank Points: 11
Registered: 11-08-2007
IP: Logged

I think that was KIND of the idea for the level contest, but that would be hard to make... I'd imagine it would resemble Cell Block or Rooms of Confusion, though.

____________________________
SubTerra
- Ultimate rank
- 2009 level design contest, 2nd place

Radiant
Level: Moderator

Rank Points: 142
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

The Stew Boy wrote:
Out of curiosity, Radiant, what's your primary source of income at the moment?

I have a full-time job. If you'd think that leaves me less time for game design than I used to have, you'd be pretty much correct.

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= Radiant =

Radiant
Level: Moderator

Rank Points: 142
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

However, if people here are interested in designing some levels, I would appreciate getting help on Eye Of The Tempest. We've put a lot of work into that but I'm having serious writers block on the dungeon design.

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= Radiant =

The Stew Boy
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 247
Registered: 05-10-2005
IP: Logged

So what's Eye Of The Tempest about?

Danjen02
Level: Roachling

Rank Points: 11
Registered: 11-08-2007
IP: Logged

The very basic premise is that it is a first person RPG; I made a neat level for it some time ago!

____________________________
SubTerra
- Ultimate rank
- 2009 level design contest, 2nd place

B.J.Earles
Level: Goblin

Rank Points: 18
Registered: 04-29-2009
IP: Logged

I completely forgot about EotT. Perhaps I'll find some time to make another level.

Radiant
Level: Moderator

Rank Points: 142
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

The Stew Boy wrote:
So what's Eye Of The Tempest about?

A forest-filled world is threatened by an elemental maelstrom (the eponymous Tempest) that wreaks destruction throughout the country, and that reappears every hundred years or so. An artifact is known to exist that holds the Tempest at bay; however, the human village, dwarven mine, and the Regency all want it, and it will not protect all of them. So whichever you side with becomes a target for the other two.

And yes, it is a first-person RPG in the style of Lands Of Lore and Eye Of The Beholder. The game has a wide variety of spells, effects, and monster behaviors, requiring the player to think of tactics rather than just bash through everything.

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= Radiant =

wonkyth
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 15
Registered: 06-18-2007
IP: Logged

Hmm, I haven't attempted to make an EotT level for a while.
Maybe if there was some more open discussion about developing levels for it, people could be encouraged?

On a side note, I seem to have lost the editor you gave me before.
Is the one you PMed me still valid?

____________________________
"Satire denounces the world;
Wit penetrates it;
Humour accepts it;
But Nonsense Transforms it"
- Cedric Whitman
w.r.t. Aristophanes

Bigwig
Level: Goblin

Rank Points: 25
Registered: 06-16-2009
IP: Logged

I haven't been on the forum this year until today. You should definitely keep the subterra contests on, I enjoyed them.

Radiant
Level: Moderator

Rank Points: 142
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

wonkyth wrote:
Hmm, I haven't attempted to make an EotT level for a while.
Maybe if there was some more open discussion about developing levels for it, people could be encouraged?

That sounds like a good idea. And yes, the editor I sent you is still valid.

Bigwig wrote:
I haven't been on the forum this year until today. You should definitely keep the subterra contests on, I enjoyed them.

I would be happy to keep the contest up, although I'd prefer if someone else were to run it.

____________________________
= Radiant =

Bigwig
Level: Goblin

Rank Points: 25
Registered: 06-16-2009
IP: Logged

Would that mean creating the template as well?

And possible rules?

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[Last edited by Bigwig at 06-22-2010 09:36 PM]

The Mystic
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 18
Registered: 09-20-2006
IP: Logged

I'm assuming so, though I think we can still use the same basic rules as before.

I can provide a template with its own special rule(s) every so often, but I don't think I can run it.

____________________________
Either I'm crazy, or everybody else is nuts. And I know I'm not crazy because the little man who lives on my shoulder told me so.
If people don't think there's something wrong with you, there's something wrong with you.
Oh well. Another day, another dementia.

---

[Last edited by The Mystic at 06-22-2010 11:23 PM]

Danjen02
Level: Roachling

Rank Points: 11
Registered: 11-08-2007
IP: Logged

Eh, I could probably run it. I don't have that much consuming my time for now.

____________________________
SubTerra
- Ultimate rank
- 2009 level design contest, 2nd place

Radiant
Level: Moderator

Rank Points: 142
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

Bigwig wrote:
Would that mean creating the template as well?

And possible rules?

Yes, that's pretty much it.

____________________________
= Radiant =

B.J.Earles
Level: Goblin

Rank Points: 18
Registered: 04-29-2009
IP: Logged

I could help run the contest as well. I might not participate much right now though. My time is currently being absorbed by Blades of Avernum.