Episode 21: The queen is dead, long live the queen
Oh man. This level. This level. I will admit, besides that evil eye room, the required puzzles aren't that bad. It's the secret rooms that really got me. One is a tar race with practically zero room for error, and the other is an onslaught of brained roaches, 28 or more to a round, with a challenge that has the misfortune to guide the player into a 3000-turn-long slashfest instead of its intended solution.
But it's done now!
The next episode was streamed just now, and will be posted once Twitch completes the export!
Cold weather and a difficult challenge made level 23 a bit harder than it might have been otherwise. But hey, we've gotten the Poppy Brigade's attention and we're nearly done with the hold!
After a relatively painless Level 24.... oh man. The Poppy Brigade do not pull their punches on Level 25! I get stuck for a long time in 1N4E, trying different things, and eventually have to look up the magic movement sequence I used before.
But hey, the hold is done! Mostly!
Let's talk story! JtRH is where the legend of Beethro really begins. His purpose is twofold: First, show Halph that smiting is not a line of work that he should pursue; and second, find some answers to the wild speculation at the Smitemasters' Guild so everyone can shut up and get back to work.
Beethro had a mixed success with his first goal, as the Empire reached out to Halph with a job offer as an Architect, and Pit Thing eventually convinced him to part ways with Beethro and take up the offer. But you could say that Beethro did get at least one answer; namely, that the DAA has been expanding dungeons for some goal or another of the Empire, even if Beethro fails to understand what their goals actually are. But now he has new questions for which he must find the answers: What did the Pit Thing tell Halph? What is the Empire's goal? And why are his actions endangering the Empire?
With the destruction of Beethro's grill, it's clear that he doesn't really have a home to go back to. And so, the only place to go is down...
The next stream will cover the Dreamplane, and be streamed February 3.
In this episode, we tackle the Dreamplane! There's so much to see here, and so little explained! It's a fascinating look at some of the things that went on behind the scenes.
In this episode, we begin larrymurk's 2005 SmS, Perfection! This hold won Hold of the Year in the 2005 Deadlies, and we start to see the linchpin style of puzzle actually take root in the series here.
I'm sure all you veteran drodders know what I'm talking about, but for the newbies among us, a linchpin puzzle is a type of puzzle where:
- a challenge is presented to the player, with seemingly impossible constraints
- the puzzle hinges on a particular insight. As an example, see the tar efficiency puzzle on the third floor!
- Once you know the trick, the execution is simple.
Such puzzles are an excellent teaching tool for certain interactions, and were put to use well in such games as Portal, Supraland, and the latter official DROD holds. Entry Point in particular is full of them!
Some mighty brutal puzzles on this stream! I did floors 4 and 5 of Perfection, and had my work cut out for me when it came to tarstuff. Mud and tar mothers can be mean when the architect wants them to be.
Well, the latest episode has been out for three days, and the link isn't here yet. I hope this doesn't mean I have to start doing everything around here.
____________________________
The internet is no place to act like a wild animal.
Uh, what he said! Thanks Moe. And thank you, larrymurk, for making such a brilliant, though demanding, hold!
This Thursday, I'll be taking a break from DROD proper in order to play skell's project, SSSSSS. I'm hoping it'll be a nice change of pace in between Perfection and Beethro's Teacher. See you guys then!
In this stream, I took a break from DROD proper to play some SSSSSS with iannothslurgh! Co-op puzzles are hard! Especially without a proper pointing mechanism. I do hear skell made some updates today though. Perhaps when we pick this up again on March 17 the experience will be a little better!
Last week's stream was yet another duo endeavor! Annoth and I cleared a few more levels in SSSSSS, though I'm not entirely certain how much of it we have left. The next stream will be March 24, assuming he's available again.
Oh, and I appreciate the quality-of-life improvements skell added! Puzzling is a lot less painful now.
We did it! We beat every room in SSSSSS!
Thank you, skell, for making such a neat game, and I also thank all of the architects who contributed rooms!
Annoth and I intend to continue the co-op shenanigans this Friday in Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, if he's available, but for those of you who just want to watch me play some DROD, Beethro's Teacher starts April 7.
The first level of Beethro's Teacher is just a taste of the craziness of this hold. Looking forward to the rest? Join us on April 14 for the second level!
Thank you, everyone who tuned in and offered hints. It's thanks to you that the series can continue at the pace it's at!
Some real stumpers on floor 3 of Beethro's Teacher! And a wraithwing horde that feels like a magic sequence room. Oh well, they can't all be winners.
Now that I'm no longer working from home every day, I may be too tired to play DROD on some nights. But if all goes well, the next episode will stream on May 12.
It's been fixed. Also, here are the next few episode links!
Episode 35: Spare me your lectures
The snake floor!
Episode 36: The tarstuff honor roll
Oof. You guys probably know by now that I'm not a big fan of tarstuff mothers, and floor 5 of BT is nothing but! And these are the hardest puzzles yet.
Episode 37: A nightmare about a missed assignment
Floor 5 continues, and still isn't over! But at least I have some company.
Frustration abounds in these next few videos, but... progress!
Episode 38: The seventh week of detention
Finally clearing the 5th floor!
Episode 39: Failing marks
Starting the 6th floor, and ramming face-first into the worst golem packing room ever.
Episode 40: Graduation
Completing the 6th floor and Denfry's Stand. We're done! We're finally done with Beethro's Teacher!
The next hold on the list is Master Locks Expert, and I should be able to stream at the usual time on July 14! Hope to see you all there as I play a much easier hold.
Episode 41: Like a peanut butter jar at a squirrel convention
Part 1
Part 2
Episode 42: I've cracked the code
These three videos cover the entirety of Master Locks Expert. While a welcome change of pace from Perfection and BT, the puzzles are still puzzling and the secret room threw me off long enough that I wasn't able to solve the whole hold in one stream.
Episode 42 also features some bonus holds: Bad Evil Restaurant, Island of Adventure, and 10 easy puzzles in a toilet.
The next hold, The City Beneath, is set to start this Thursday!
