Brickman
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 17
Registered: 07-07-2004
IP: Logged

File: Davids castle of creatures.hold (10 KB)
Downloaded 139 times.
License: Other
From: Unspecified

This is my first hold. Its fairly easy, but I think its ok. I included some short slashfests--nothing over 100 enemies, with the biggest one being fought alongside mimics to speed it up.

I also created a second one, both bigger and better, which I will post as soon as I have feedback on the first, or in 3 days. Whichever comes first.

masonjason
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 349
Registered: 12-29-2003
IP: Logged

On the first level:
1E - too long and tedious.
2E - nice, brainless slashfest. It's easy to do without the mimics, though.
1N 1E - same, fun in a simple way but easy. In fact, I could say the same about most of the rooms on the level.
Level 2:
1W: first semi-hard room in the hold, and it's moderately subtle too. Well done.
1N 1W: you can just carve out a two-square-wide hole, open all the doors, and slash away. Is this intended?
2N 1W: I like this one. The timing window is quite small - admittedly I'm not the most efficient DROD player, but I got to the tar with less than a single spawn cycle to go. The placement of the brain also makes for entertaining nick-of-time killing.
I may be back with more later.

____________________________
Eighty people came to the bazaar.

Brickman
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 17
Registered: 07-07-2004
IP: Logged

File: Beethro for hire by David.hold (22.3 KB)
Downloaded 86 times.
License: Other
From: Unspecified

masonjason wrote:
2E - nice, brainless slashfest. It's easy to do without the mimics, though.

Yeah, but its both faster and more entertaining with them.

1N 1E - same, fun in a simple way but easy. In fact, I could say the same about most of the rooms on the level.

Good. As long as most of the rooms are fun, then the hold is a success. I wasn't aiming for hard, after all.

1N 1W: you can just carve out a two-square-wide hole, open all the doors, and slash away. Is this intended?

I noticed you can do this. It was intended to be a "make your own cover" room, but I didn't realise that there was one perfect type of cover until I had already made it. Mabey I'll put in a challenge scroll (still won't be very challenging, but it'll be moreso).

2N 1W: I like this one. The timing window is quite small - admittedly I'm not the most efficient DROD player, but I got to the tar with less than a single spawn cycle to go. The placement of the brain also makes for entertaining nick-of-time killing.

I liked it too. I shortened the timing window so you have to use most or all of the cracked wlaas to reach it in time. I usually have two or three cycles (actually, its always the same number, I just don't remember which it is). And many times I've gotten killed by the blob in the lower right, which was the last thing I added-- he grows as I'm passing and I force it to make a baby behind me by accident. Did this happen to you?

Edit one hour later: I whittled down the roaches in the room that you said had too many, and I changed some of the walls in 1N 1W to solid, then added a challenge to only do horizontal cuts (still at least two easy ways).
Also, now that I have feedback on the first one, its time to submit my second level for review. Its got a plot to drive it, unlike most holds (by this I mean a plot which isn't all revealed at the start and which determines the areas). I could have cut the first level off without hurting the plot, but they also could have made dugan's dungeon 15 levels. Sometimes length is important.

[Edited by Brickman on 07-08-2004 at 04:37 PM GMT]

swann_88
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 87
Registered: 06-29-2003
IP: Logged

that happened to me my first try

the room with the invisiblity potion on level 1
no point in the potion unless you force the player to use it
the room is actually easier without it

HSE
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 162
Registered: 04-09-2004
IP: Logged

This hold is great - I love it! It's just the right difficulty for me and it's great fun! Keep the good work up!

Brickman
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 17
Registered: 07-07-2004
IP: Logged

Do you mean the first or the second?

And are you serious about that potion? I guess I'll fix that.

Doom
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3323
Registered: 07-05-2004
IP: Logged

swann_88 wrote:
that happened to me my first try

the room with the invisiblity potion on level 1
no point in the potion unless you force the player to use it
the room is actually easier without it

I agree. Maybe it would work if there was a brain in the room.

Doom
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3323
Registered: 07-05-2004
IP: Logged

Level 2 - 2N1W could´ve had even lower timer. See my demo and see... -SPOILER WARNING-

Doom
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3323
Registered: 07-05-2004
IP: Logged

File: Davidscastle lv2 2N1W victory.demo (991 bytes)
Downloaded 59 times.
License: Other
From: Unspecified

Doom wrote:
Level 2 - 2N1W could´ve had even lower timer. See my demo and see... -SPOILER WARNING-

Sorry the file got lost... Here it is

Brickman
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 17
Registered: 07-07-2004
IP: Logged

Amazing. You did the EXACT SAME THING I DO. I even said in a reply that I usually have a good deal of time left. I intentionally left a decent margin in case someone didn't see a cracked wall.

gds
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 50
Registered: 02-06-2004
IP: Logged

I like the storyline for the second hold. In particular, I thought that the toll bridges were a very clever idea, very well implemented.
Like your first hold, I would say this hold is easy to moderate, with some original puzzles (I don't think I've seen something like Moldy dungeon 1N before).

There are few problems. The two most important ones I've found are:
- in Path to capitol 1N: the bridge should be closed to start with.
- the exit stairs for the beast just send me back to the same level.
There are several rooms where the potions you've put are not necessary: Bat cave 1E, basement 1S1W and basement 1E. I don't know if you intended it this way as the room is not required but Path to capitol 3N1W is solvable. Finally, I've spotted a few spelling mistakes on the level descriptions.

Good job, nonetheless, it's a fun hold.

Brickman
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 17
Registered: 07-07-2004
IP: Logged

gds wrote:
I like the storyline for the second hold. In particular, I thought that the toll bridges were a very clever idea, very well implemented.

Thanks. I thought it was creative (I got the idea of "talking" to a mimic who was just there to hit a button form ben chisel's five sweet speaking place hold, but they didn't think to have conditions for him to let you through).

(I don't think I've seen something like Moldy dungeon 1N before).

Thats because I don't think there is. I thought it up on my own after playing the dugan's room where you have to kill the queens as the snake releases them to keep them from spawning-- I just gave it a different goal.

There are few problems. The two most important ones I've found are:
- in Path to capitol 1N: the bridge should be closed to start with.
- the exit stairs for the beast just send me back to the same level.

I fixed the two problems. Actually, I think I've fixed those stairs several times, but it can't be that one bug because it doesn't say its pointing the right way.

There are several rooms where the potions you've put are not necessary: Bat cave 1E, basement 1S1W and basement 1E. I don't know if you intended it this way as the room is not required but Path to capitol 3N1W is solvable. Finally, I've spotted a few spelling mistakes on the level descriptions.

Good job, nonetheless, it's a fun hold.

Addressing each room seperately: in the bat cave room, I guess I should go back and force you to drink the potion. Basement 1s1w: you mean it really is possible to survive with all the goblins after you from the start? I just assumed it wasn't. Well, then, at least tell me whether it was easier using it than not (if not, I've got to make a change). basement 1e: I know you don't need him, but, just like the mimic battle in my first dungeon, its easier and more fun if you do use him, not to mention faster. Path to capitol 3n1w: I figured that, considering the nonaggressive batwing AI, it had to be possible, but isn't it just easier to let the guards do it? Plus thats what the storyline assumes you do. Spelling errors: I'll do it now.

[Edited by Brickman on 07-09-2004 at 05:34 PM GMT: I credited the wrong hold with an idea. I always seem screw up this hold's name, and I just realised looking at the hold list that I said abbreviated it with the end of someone else's hold's name]

swann_88
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 87
Registered: 06-29-2003
IP: Logged

just noticed the second hold
you really should have made a separate post for it

still in the first one
the exit for level 2 I killed all but one of the snakes

if the brains were accessable the room could be done

level 3 entrance too easy even for an easy hold add at least one more gap on each side

gamer_extreme_101
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1939
Registered: 03-07-2004
IP: Logged

May I make a suggestion for Lvl. 3 1E?



____________________________
--That guy with a million different aliases since he doesn't like this name anymore.

Brickman
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 17
Registered: 07-07-2004
IP: Logged

I don't know, that would require another civilian mimic, and since I can't keep him from backing out of the room everyone would use it to kill the monsters and reenter the room (did you notice the trapdoors at the start of each room in the path to capitol?).
Hey, would someone post their opinion of the beast?

gamer_extreme_101
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1939
Registered: 03-07-2004
IP: Logged

Brickman wrote:
Hey, would someone post their opinion of the beast?

The beast was an excellent efficiency room. The only way I could beat it was if my timing was perfect and got the roaches just as the snake uncovered them. However, the end stairs need to be reset, as they lead back to the beginning of the level. Check this thread for more info:

http://www.drod.net/forum/viewtopic.php?TopicID=3079



____________________________
--That guy with a million different aliases since he doesn't like this name anymore.

swann_88
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 87
Registered: 06-29-2003
IP: Logged

the beast was pretty good had a real hard time with the first corner if any queens get away you are better off with the door open

used the potion for the goblin room
probably could do it without by getting all the goblins into the northeast corridor but I'm lazy tonight

a cowards fate needs more queens at the top
you can actually hold your ground at the corner forever as is

moldy dungeon 1w could you a path back somewhere and 1e could use a checkpoint somewhere on the east

kings basement 1e no need to use the mimic
1w you should take out the passage with the eyes it is too easy to hide from the goblins in the empty corridor
its much more interesting trapping them in the section with the orbs

[Edited by swann_88 on 07-09-2004 at 02:53 AM GMT]

Scott
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 578
Registered: 02-12-2003
IP: Logged

Actually you can let queens escape from the beast with no problem as long as you don't close the door.

Brickman
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 17
Registered: 07-07-2004
IP: Logged

To swann: I made the changes to moldy dungeon. A coward's fate was supposed to go like that: Beethro is forced to forever fight a losing battle against an undefeatable force as punishment for not being brave enough to fight the beast.
I changed the entrance to the eye room from the top to the bottom--I don't think it'll be as easy to get there in time now. I need to have some of every non-tar enemy (imagine putting tar into one of those cages, thus that has a reason for omission).
Overall, my only regret with this hold is that the engine didn't allow a more impressive beast. You could stick this thing into any random dungeon in the middle of a level and noone would suspect what its supposed to represnet. I hope they make some bigger things in the next game (crossing my fingers for an ogre which takes up four spaces). They'd have to be creative about how to kill them, though.

gds
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 50
Registered: 02-06-2004
IP: Logged

File: BfhbD Kings palace basement level 1 1S1W Victory.demo (1 KB)
Downloaded 58 times.
License: Other
From: Unspecified

Brickman wrote:
Basement 1s1w: you mean it really is possible to survive with all the goblins after you from the start? I just assumed it wasn't. Well, then, at least tell me whether it was easier using it than not (if not, I've got to make a change)

Easier, that depends on how good you are with goblin. For me it is much easier and much faster (as I didn't have to chase goblin across the whole room) not to bother with the potion. Basically, any goblin (or group of) in a 3-square wide corridor is a dead (group of) goblin. See attached demo.
Note that putting a brain in the room will not solve your problem. I just tried it and it's just as easy.

Path to capitol 3n1w: I figured that, considering the nonaggressive batwing AI, it had to be possible, but isn't it just easier to let the guards do it?

We just like to prove that impossible rooms are possible. Anyway any Beethro worht his salt would not rely on others to do the job if he can

Hey, would someone post their opinion of the beast?

I'm not sure which way you intended the room to be solved. I just herded most of the queens onto the trapdoors as they won't spawn there.

[Edited by gds on 07-09-2004 at 12:03 PM GMT]

Brickman
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 17
Registered: 07-07-2004
IP: Logged

Oh, thats why everyone says to leave it open. (slaps head). I'll fix it so you have to close it.