Dragon Fogel
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 2467
Registered: 06-21-2014
IP: Logged

"Entering a Level": This is a hub level, so its puzzles should hopefully be easy enough to not need demos for the most part. But still...
The 1N row has corrupted demos that all display as having "0 moves", even though they play out normally and appear to show valid solutions??? Aside from that, there are no demos in this level. I'm particularly concerned with the Entrance, since it looks slightly complicated, but actually making a demo for that would mean getting a save file with this whole level complete, which means completing the entire hold. Maybe just a description of the solution (obtained by playing it in the editor) would suffice?

Just copy the room to a new hold and then someone can test it there.

Xindaris
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1587
Registered: 06-13-2015
IP: Logged

That's what I mean about getting a description of the solution in the editor, but it still won't produce an actual demo that belongs to the full hold.

____________________________
109th Skywatcher

Here are some links to Things!

---

[Last edited by Xindaris at 07-12-2024 05:52 PM]

Nuntar
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 4756
Registered: 02-20-2007
IP: Logged

File: Variations Entrance.zip (5.3 KB)
Downloaded 4 times.
License: Public Domain

Hold file with Entering a Level : Entrance copied to a separate hold, with a demo.

Planning Ahead 1N1E needs to have its scroll fixed to "by Insoluble".

Before releasing, I'd like to have a discussion about Reaching a Brain 1N1E (my room). The room is solvable, but it depends on this behaviour (brained aumtlich face stalwarts while moving towards Beethro). After two discussions, there was no clear resolution but we seem to have reached a consensus for "no change" by default. Also, the behaviour is taught in Advanced Concepts (which I didn't know when contributing to the discussion). Still, it's strange behaviour and I don't feel entirely comfortable with releasing the room.

Does anyone have any opinion on what we should do? As I see it, our options are: decide the room is okay and leave it; remove it; make it unrequired; leave it required but add a scroll describing the behaviour (maybe in a "hint alcove"); or I could make a replacement room (and if so, do we keep the original as an unrequired bonus room?)

Finally, I would still like to have a go at making a room for Planning Ahead, because I lost a nearly finished room years ago when my hard drive at the time failed. Would that be okay?

____________________________
50th Skywatcher

Xindaris
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1587
Registered: 06-13-2015
IP: Logged

I feel like adding a clear hint scroll about the behavior is fine, if you think there is still a meaningful puzzle there once a player already knows about that behavior. If solving the room comes down to "just learning" that behavior and you don't like making the player do that, I'd change the room in that situation.

If you can get the room for Planning Ahead done pretty quick (especially if you've got a good idea for it already or such), go ahead and do it. Like I said above, just post it in a level by itself and I'll copy-paste it into the main collab. My goal here version-control-wise is that I'm the only one making changes to that main hold now, so we don't run into any further snags of that sort.

____________________________
109th Skywatcher

Here are some links to Things!

---

[Last edited by Xindaris at 07-12-2024 08:28 PM]

Xindaris
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1587
Registered: 06-13-2015
IP: Logged

File: current state.zip (146 KB)
Downloaded 2 times.
License: Public Domain

I decided to go in and start making some of our missing demos. I spotted one or two other issues along the way.

Here's an issue not previously discussed: Several levels are missing entrance texts. Namely:
-The hub level, "Entering a Level", has no entrance text (well, it has "Entrance 1", which is just the default, so I consider that "nothing written"). I'll write one for it, if there are no objections to that.
-"Dropping a Red Door" has no entrance text. This was Nuntar's original, so perhaps he can supply one?
-"blorxery" has no entrance text. This was blorx1's original...honestly, the level's sparse nature might fit with its entrance text being "Entrance 1", but I feel like that trick only works if you do it exactly once in the entire hold, and uh...
-"exterminating evil eyes" has an entrance text that is just "Entrance", no number. This original was by Insoluble, who I think is not available for comment; the lack of a number suggests that it was intentionally left as "Entrance". So..one of these two needs to change, is my feeling.
-"Sea Serpents" also has no entrance text. The original was by dimwiddy, who is completely gone, so maybe I'll just write one.

Additionally, "blorxery" has no walls around its rooms. I should probably just fix that.

Also also, I added a variation of my own to "Bomb Safety", now in 1S1E. I also added a demo for it, of course.

Now then, as for demo production...


The one thing I want to call out in that secret is that I was unable to figure out one of Chaco's rooms, and would appreciate someone else looking into it and/or Chaco just directly producing the demo, if you're reading this.

Find attached to this post a zip file with the current state of the hold, plus the current set of completed demos. Feel free to try out any rooms without demos yet and produce some for me to add to this set. If you make just one demo, then export that one and attach it to a post; if you make several, feel free to just export the entire-hold demo set. This will result in some duplicate demos when I import all that, but that's not really a problem.

____________________________
109th Skywatcher

Here are some links to Things!

---

[Last edited by Xindaris at 08-09-2024 03:29 AM]

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3648
Registered: 10-06-2005
IP: Logged

File: Vo Dropping a Red Door 3N1E Victory.demo (5.1 KB)
Downloaded 5 times.
License: Public Domain

Hi there, here's a demo for Variations on Dropping a Red Door 3N1E.

I think it is impossible unless, at some point, you



so I assume that's what I had in mind when I built this way back when.

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

Xindaris
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1587
Registered: 06-13-2015
IP: Logged

Thank you Chaco! I've added the demo to the set. I did have a vague thought once while I was away from a computer and after writing my post to that effect, but of course didn't actually try applying it.

Anyway, this post is announcing an update to the "current state" zip above. Namely, I've made a few edits and added some more demos, so that "Reaching a Brain Behind a Gate" and "Limited Directions" now have completed demo sets. Here are some details:



____________________________
109th Skywatcher

Here are some links to Things!

---

[Last edited by Xindaris at 08-01-2024 05:43 PM]

Xindaris
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1587
Registered: 06-13-2015
IP: Logged

Small update...

I've been trying to get demos done for Sea Serpents. This being a level based mostly on serpent-types and platform shuffling, it's been slow going; it took me a while to figure out even my own room. But by now I've managed everything except 2E, 1N2E, 3E, and 1N3E. These rooms are by Someone Else, Chaco, blorx1, and Insoluble respectively. Some more details on my difficulties in the secret below.


I'd appreciate help or demos for some/all of these from anyone else, especially since some of the architects don't really frequent these forums anymore.

____________________________
109th Skywatcher

Here are some links to Things!

---

[Last edited by Xindaris at 08-09-2024 03:38 AM]