agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1838
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Okay: methinks it is time to necro this thread!

So, basically, I am building a hold called Golbar's Caves. It is an intended sequel to Bavato's Dungeon, continuing the journey of Tolbus to discover the Architect's secret (you'll know what I mean if you've completed level 13 of Bavato's Dungeon).

I will be holding private testing for the hold, since I am not sure if I want to submit it for Smitemaster's Selections. To do this, I will use the private beta board feature for testing. If you want to join my testing team, send me a PM and I can invite you to the board if you have a Caravel.net account. You will need to make sure the "Make me available for beta testing holds" option is checked in the "Caravel.net" part of your profile. If you don't have Caravel.net, we could coordinate testing by email.

Some of GC's features currently include:

- High difficulty: This is deliberately a difficult hold and I don't think it's good for optimising, either (Most rooms have >300 move solutions). I'd say you need to be of a reasonable standard at DROD if you want to make much progress (L6-8 of Bavato's Dungeon sounds about right, I think).

- Manipulation: Most rooms are currently manipulation rooms of some form. I have tried to reduce the emphasis on horde rooms compared to BD, but I don't think you could describe this hold as containing many lynchpin puzzles.

- Three levels: Yup. Three! With 20 puzzle rooms. Yeah, I'm a slow builder. Oh, well.

- Guaranteed solvability: I've learnt my lesson. I have recorded victory demos for each room in the hold. As a bonus, you get to watch my amusingly embarrassing demos in which I get stumped and confused by my own puzzles.

- JtRH focus: This was intended to be a JtRH hold, so although it's been upgraded to TCB, I am currently trying to avoid using TCB elements (partially because I don't have enough experience with them)

As mentioned above, the hold may be a Smitemaster's Selection hold at some time in future. This means that I place a lot of trust in testers not to release it early anywhere, or to copy anything inside it directly and then release it in a hold before it's finished. If you've got a good forum track record, however, I don't think I'm likely to turn you down.

Okay, so who's up for testing? I need three experienced smiters!

____________________________
Resident Medic/Mycologist

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[Last edited by agaricus5 at 02-19-2009 09:57 PM]

agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1838
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

I have several testers already, but I believe I've still got enough resourses to cope with organising a few more, so if you're interested, then send me an e-mail or PM about it.

I think I'm also going to use this thread for general announcements too (so I don't need to be sending hundreds of e-mails to everyone if that can be avoided).

If you're testing for me, then don't post comments here, but send them to me via e-mail or PM, as before. I'll use this thread to make any announcements I need to (such as bugs or trivial solutions, so you know I've already found them, and don't need to waste your time researching them (although hopefully it might be possible in the future to set up some sort of private thread/board just for testing this hold).

If you're about to send me something, try checking here to see if I've already mentioned what you've found, and if you want to post anything here for whatever reason, don't disclose any solutions, storylines or contents of the hold.

In version 1.1,

L1 1S 1W is impossible again, due to some misplaced walls.

The storyline is also not in place yet, there are no level descriptions, and and most of the proto-scripts are intentionally not working, so don't worry about these. I'll be including the story and fixing them later.

____________________________
Resident Medic/Mycologist

agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1838
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Announcement:

No new testers are required. Since tester demand is low, and hold testing is not part of the critical path at present, I have decided I have enough testers for now. At present, I have 8 people who have volunteered to help, and that is also probably about the largest group of people I can coordinate via e-mail. I may, however, ask for more testers if people drop out, or other people also start releasing private holds, so if you want to test, you may get another chance later.

Thanks for your help, anyone who volunteered. I'm grateful for your help.

____________________________
Resident Medic/Mycologist

agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1838
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

With all the transferring of testing from emails to private beta boards along with a two-month delay and lots of disorganisation, I appear to have lost most of my testing team (I'm now down to four testers).

Edit: See below for the current version of the guidelines.

____________________________
Resident Medic/Mycologist

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[Last edited by agaricus5 at 01-08-2006 12:46 AM]

agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1838
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

...(I have a very slow building rate)...

When I said "slow", I guess I really meant that. In about three months, I built a grand total of six rooms (with about the same number of half-rooms, but they don't really count yet), which is pretty slow. In the lengthy process, I believe I lost all or most of my testers due to there being nothing happening, so I would like to call again for new people to have a go at testing the hold (and I'll PM all current testers tomorrow as well).

As I'm in a bit of a hurry, I'll just quote and edit slightly the guidelines I wrote earlier for you to note if you're interested.

1. I am using the private beta board feature for testing, so you need to have a Caravel.net account, and the "Make me available for beta testing holds" option needs to be checked in the "Caravel.net" part of your profile, or I cannot invite you. Send me a PM, and I'll invite you.

2. I don't require you to test intensively (I have a very slow building rate), but I would prefer it if you are able to play at least a few rooms (you don't need to comment if you don't want to; I can just see your demos online).

3. The hold is quite difficult, so you do need to be of a reasonable standard at DROD (i.e. you've almost finished KDD or JtRH) if you want to make much actual progress in the hold itself. However, I do need one or two newer players just to see what their reactions to such a hard hold are, so even if you aren't a particularly good player, that's not too much of a problem.

4. As mentioned above, the hold is probably going to be a Smitemaster's Selection hold at some time in future. This means that I place a lot of trust in testers not to release it early anywhere, or to copy anything inside it directly and then release it in a hold before it's finished. I am unlikely to turn down any offers for help,however, as long as you have a reasonable Forum record and have some DRODistic experience.

So, thanks in advance if you'd like to test, and apologies to those people who are awaiting testing from me themselves (I will get round to it - I promise).

____________________________
Resident Medic/Mycologist

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3659
Registered: 10-06-2005
IP: Logged

Darn. I would have liked the opportunity to test something from such a great hold builder as you, especially when it's a sequel to the legendary Bavato's Dungeon, but sadly the CaravelNet requirement leaves me in the dust

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

agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1838
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Okay guys, I need three experienced smiters for testing Golbar's Caves. See the first post for details.

____________________________
Resident Medic/Mycologist

Someone Else
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2340
Registered: 06-14-2005
IP: Logged

Okay, I'm open. I'm pretty sure that I'm experienced enough to do this well.

CuriousShyRabbit
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3170
Registered: 10-14-2006
IP: Logged

If this hold needs a Rabbit's help, you are welcome to invite me.

(I'm a HA, so giving me a preview will expedite my vote once the hold is submitted.)

Neather2
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 406
Registered: 07-18-2006
IP: Logged

Argh, i don't have CNM so i can't help i think. But i'm here.

____________________________
Nothing to say. I just play the game. And you, sir, should play it too.

Conspiracy, my new hold, has just been released.

13th Slayer
Level: Disabled

Rank Points: 27
Registered: 09-28-2007
IP: Logged

Neather2 wrote:
Argh, i don't have CNM so i can't help i think. But i'm here.

Uh... . I think it will be publically avilable for testing. Not via CN.

Kwakstur
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 385
Registered: 05-05-2006
IP: Logged

13th Slayer wrote: Uh... . I think it will be publically avilable for testing. Not via CN.

For a hold on beta board, yeah, you do need CN. Although 12th Archivist found a way to circumvent this and allow non-CN people to test a hold on Beta; my guess is he PMed a link to the attatchment.

agaricus5 wrote:
I will use the private beta board feature for testing. If you want to join my testing team, send me a PM and I can invite you to the board if you have a Caravel.net account.

____________________________
Also known as ExpHP everywhere else.

NiroZ
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1302
Registered: 02-12-2006
IP: Logged

I'm experienced, but not all that good. Does that count?

agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1838
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

NiroZ wrote:
I'm experienced, but not all that good. Does that count?

As testing appears to be going slowly at present (I guess it's probably a combination of SMS preparation + DROD RPG + general busy-ness + other behind-the-scenes factors), I can invite you too if you want. If you do find the hold very hard, please let me know; I need some help gauging its difficulty!

____________________________
Resident Medic/Mycologist

martz
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 416
Registered: 08-19-2005
IP: Logged

I'd like to volunteer my services if still required

____________________________
Without struggle, there is no progress, so get up, get out, and go make the rest of your life the best of your life; you deserve to live the life that YOU want to live...

Progress - Gavin G

agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1838
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Okay then. I'll invite you.

____________________________
Resident Medic/Mycologist