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Caravel Forum : DROD Boards : Architecture : Uncle Mike's New Place (A TCB hold)
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brian_s
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File: Uncle Mikes New Place v7.hold (14.6 KB)
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icon Uncle Mike's New Place (+4)  
This is a hold I made mostly in May. I know the level descriptions, ending, etc. are missing. I'd rather work out some bugs than try to put some polish on at this stage, especially on the third level.

Checkpoints! Do I have checkpoints in useful places?

v2 Update: the second level has been tweaked and the third level got an overhaul for easier movement through the level.

v3 Update: Moved a few rooms and changed several others on the second and third levels. Hold edit permission is now "You and Conquerers".

v4 Update: More room fixes, all rooms are finished other than bug fixes and decoration.

v5 Update: A few more room fixes, planned to be final version.

v6 Update: A few more room fixes. Again, planned to be final version. I mean it this time. :)

v7 Update: Removed a secret room.

[Last edited by brian_s at 08-14-2011 12:45 AM : Update hold]
06-15-2011 at 11:41 PM
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mxvladi
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+2)  
All done. Some comments:

Click here to view the secret text


[Last edited by mxvladi at 06-16-2011 04:23 AM]
06-16-2011 at 01:31 AM
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west.logan
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+1)  
I would say you definitely have your checkpoints in good places. If anything, there are too many of them.

Comments:
Click here to view the secret text


And that's all I have for now. I doubt I'll go back and try those other three rooms, which means I probably won't try floors two and three but it looks really good so far. I didn't find anything wacky.

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06-16-2011 at 01:33 AM
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12th Archivist
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+1)  
These are my comments:

Entrance: A very enjoyable lynchpin. Well done! The checkpoints here were useful and not unnecessarily plentiful.

Once East: Took a while, but not too hard. The checkpoints were good. My solution had to do with
Click here to view the secret text

Once South, Once East: Fairly easy with unlimited undo, but rather trial-and-error-ish without resorting to graph paper.

Once North: Wow! That was awesome! Half an hour was spent on it before I figured the solution, with one decoy and two mimics. Also, this was the first completely successful version of a self-contained circle, if you catch my drift, that I have ever seen, for which I give many, many points to this room. Again, I salute you for this idea! I might even use it in one of my holds someday.

Once North, Once West: Fun. Not a very constructive analysis, I know.

Once West: After all those lynchpins, this horde-management room was relaxing and easy. Perhaps a bit too easy for the level?

Once South: Like 1S 1E, this would have much more difficult without unlimited undo or graph paper.

Secret: Well hidden! I would not have caught that secret for a long time without the editor. As for the puzzle myself, I am not going to attempt it quite yet. A much more interesting version of 1W, certainly. It seems too hard to replace 1W and still be appropriate for the rest of the level, difficulty-wise.

I shall comment on the rest of the puzzles later. For now, I will say that brian.s still has excellent architectural skill. Get this submitted when it is ready, for sure!

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06-16-2011 at 02:30 AM
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brian_s
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+1)  
Second version is now up. Bridges and Clockwise levels got modified, but the Clockwise level is not done. I don't like Clockwise:2W and intend to replace it. Also, I added level introduction text. The Bridges secret has moved and is now required.

mxvladi: Could I see your demo for Villa:1S1E. You mentioned killing the serpents with only one evil eye.

07-05-2011 at 09:26 PM
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mxvladi
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+2)  
Here you go. (EDIT: removed demo)

Also, some comments on changes:

Click here to view the secret text


[Last edited by mxvladi at 07-07-2011 07:28 AM]
07-06-2011 at 02:13 AM
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brian_s
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+1)  
Thanks mxvladi, I got the demo for Villa:1S1E. I think I'll leave that solution in. Your solution for Bridges 1N2W is completely unintended, in my intended solution I never step north of the checkpoint.
07-06-2011 at 08:50 PM
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Chaco
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File: UMNP Clockwise 1S1W Victory.demo (1.1 KB)
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+1)  
Another great place to kill the serpent in Clockwise 1S1W is standing at (9, 2) facing East, with the goblin at (12, 2). This makes a nice alcove beside a force arrow for the snake to work its way into, and Beethro stands on dry ground protected by a square plinth.

-

No complaints about the rest of the hold; looks great. I especially like that it's possible to do rushed runthroughs in the Clockwise level wherein you just run through and don't bother killing everything, but it's still possible to do multiple loops and conquer rooms as you figure them out.

The secret is a bit odd and doesn't quite fit in that sort of a theme, however. It would be great if it were a seemingly-unrelated puzzle room where the lynchpin was to do things in a clockwise order, though.

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Click here to view the secret text


[Last edited by Chaco at 07-08-2011 02:51 AM]
07-08-2011 at 02:51 AM
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brian_s
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+2)  
New version of the hold is up. Clockwise 2W is completely new. The Clockwise level secret is just a proof of concept idea so far. Moved the old Clockwise secret to Bridges. I upped the hold edit permissions to "You and Conquerers." All rooms other than the Clockwise secret should be in their final forms other than some atmosphere and decorative touches, assuming there are no bugs.
07-29-2011 at 09:30 PM
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mxvladi
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+2)  
Attached three demos with unintended solutions for Villa 1N, Bridges 1N 2W and Clockwise 2W(not sure about the last one, but it seemed unintended). (EDIT: removed demos)

In Bridges 1N 2W, I did pretty much what I did last time. Maybe demo will help you to fix it.

In Villa 1N, found new(though much more interesting than previous one) unintended solution.

Clockwise 2W:

Click here to view the secret text


EDIT: also, what's up with Clockwise: Entrance? I can reach the conquer token, but spawned tar babies prevent me from conquering the room, even if I reenter it from the western entrance(in that case, two tar babies left).

[Last edited by mxvladi at 07-30-2011 05:12 PM]
07-30-2011 at 02:03 PM
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brian_s
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (0)  
I got the demos, thanks a lot! Sorry about the Clockwise entrance, I still have yet to break a bad habit of trying to fix things after testing and not following up.
07-30-2011 at 05:08 PM
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CuriousShyRabbit
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+2)  
I've played through what's possible here. Nice hold! I especially like the concept of the third floor - who other than the creator of Directions of the Compass could come up with a level like that? :)

Villa
Click here to view the secret text

Bridges - Some of these rooms have no regular floor tiles, so it's hard to see conquer/required status on the minimap. It would be nice to have some regular floor decorations in each room.
Click here to view the secret text

Clockwise - Great idea for a level!
Click here to view the secret text

08-04-2011 at 06:02 AM
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brian_s
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+1)  
Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. Several of the bugs you found I had already fixed (hopefully). Nice catch on the US for Villa 1S! I did add some code for Bridges 2N to acknowledge successful completion. The Clockwise secret is still a work in progress, I'll release the next version of the hold once I get the secret room finished.
08-04-2011 at 03:37 PM
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brian_s
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+2)  
New version of the hold is up. Bugfixes and unintended solutions brought up by mxvladi and CSR have been addressed. The Clockwise secret is ready for action.
08-05-2011 at 01:41 AM
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CuriousShyRabbit
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+1)  
Now the Clockwise secret makes me dizzy! :fun

Regarding the changes:

Villa
Click here to view the secret text

Bridges
Click here to view the secret text

Clockwise
Click here to view the secret text


[Last edited by CuriousShyRabbit at 08-05-2011 05:53 AM]
08-05-2011 at 05:37 AM
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mxvladi
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+2)  
Clockwise secret -> moved counter-clockwise in my solution :P Nothing really prevents me from luring roach to hot tile in the end even if it moved on force arrows.

Villa 1N and Clockwise 2W can't be broken now indeed.

[Last edited by mxvladi at 08-09-2011 07:54 AM]
08-05-2011 at 06:18 AM
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brian_s
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+2)  
One more update. I tweaked the Clockwise secret and overhauled the Bridges secret. Bridges 1N2W has a new mechanism to enforce my intended solution, suggested by CSR.
08-08-2011 at 06:17 PM
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CuriousShyRabbit
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (0)  
My demo survived the changes to the Clockwise secret. It looks to me like you have to keep the roach off the arrows now. I believe I am now using your solution for Bridges 1N2W.

I can still mess up the Bridges secret.
Click here to view the secret text


[Last edited by CuriousShyRabbit at 08-09-2011 10:33 AM]
08-09-2011 at 09:59 AM
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brian_s
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+2)  
A few more changes: Clockwise entrance has some briar to release and is now required. Changed the seep lock mechanism on Bridges 1N2W to stop some unintended solutions. Clockwise secret and Bridges secret modified to squash unintended solutions.
08-11-2011 at 05:18 PM
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CuriousShyRabbit
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+1)  
don't hit me please don't hit me


Also, it's nice to be able to conquer Clockwise Entrance. :)
My tools show that the Clockwise secret in v6 is the same as in v5.
08-12-2011 at 09:13 AM
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brian_s
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (+2)  
I give up! :~( I removed the Bridges secret room. That room is going back into my 'pile of ideas' hold until I think I can get it rebuilt. Oh, I misspoke when I said the Clockwise secret was changed in v6, it is indeed the same as v5.
08-14-2011 at 12:48 AM
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CuriousShyRabbit
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icon Re: Uncle Mike's New Place (0)  
I'm sorry about the Bridges secret. Right now, I don't see how to fix it either, at least not with your vision of a wide open room where Beethro leads a snake around. I'm not sure it's possible for a single force arrow to make that kind of room solvable or unsolvable. It seems you should always be able to wrangle the snake and goblin into some configuration that works. But I'm not the best player, so I could be wrong.

I have demos for all the other rooms. I think people will enjoy this hold. :)
08-14-2011 at 12:01 PM
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