pladams9
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 30
Registered: 07-31-2005
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File: DARN.hold (8.7 KB)
Downloaded 89 times.
License: Public Domain

A purposefully easy hold. Only the first level is done. Later levels will include one whose theme is Roach Queens, probably one with a lot of brains, and maybe one using lots of force arrows.

Suggestions welcome.

____________________________
--pladams9

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[Last edited by pladams9 at 11-21-2005 01:50 AM]

Alneyan
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 622
Registered: 07-06-2004
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I'm embarrassed. I have conquered the Entrance, 1N, 2N 2W, 2N 1W, 2N, 2N 1E, 3N 2W, 3N 1W, 3N and 4N, but the blue doors won't drop. The hold isn't on Anyone Edit, so I cannot check what is the problem. Is there a secret room that has been set as required somewhere? Or did you set the room(s) beyond the blue door as being required? (They shouldn't) Or have I become so good at overlooking the obvious that I can't solve ten rooms without getting lost?

That aside, it was not a bad level, and it fitted the bill for easy (though not straightforward). Nice! I would suggest adding something like a finesse room, displaying a trick or two of roach-handling (backstepping and the like): it is almost mandatory to know such moves, so I think it could fit in here.

pladams9
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 30
Registered: 07-31-2005
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If the room is required, has no monsters, but hasn't been visited, will the blue door stay up? If so that's the problem, because the final room is required. I'll change it and upload the new hold file.

____________________________
--pladams9

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[Last edited by pladams9 at 11-21-2005 10:18 PM]

Alneyan
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 622
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Near as I can tell, empty required rooms are conquered once the player enters them, so yes you do need access to this room.

larrymurk
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1917
Registered: 12-09-2004
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I'd recommend setting it to "edit by anyone" during testing.

pladams9
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 30
Registered: 07-31-2005
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K, I set the editing to "Anyone" and I made that room un-required.

Note: I have started the second floor, but it's no where near finished, so ingnore the empty/unfinished rooms for now.

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larrymurk
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1917
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I'd say the first level is fairly easy and fun. 3N2W being 1000 moves was a bit tedious, but overall, not bad.

pladams9
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 30
Registered: 07-31-2005
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Yah, sort of monotonous on that one. I might take out a few locks and add something special to speed/break it up.

Edit: Uploading/replacing hold file. Finished (?) level 2. Improved level 1.

____________________________
--pladams9

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[Last edited by pladams9 at 11-16-2005 11:00 PM]

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3683
Registered: 10-06-2005
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Hmm. A nice hold, overall. There are some good roach and queen puzzles.

My only gripe is the unkillable snake in level 2. I mean, you might as well just put a three-way hallway, without the unrequiredness. It is of my opinion that, unless it's the whole idea of a monster(Slayer), you should have the potential to kill anything that tries to kill you.

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pladams9
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 30
Registered: 07-31-2005
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Actually, that snake was just some eye candy. Doesn't serve any other purpose whatsoever. What did you think about the "puzzle" room with all the doors? Personally I think that the beginning state of doors makes it way too easy to "solve" a.k.a. "open."

subkel wrote:
I like the addition of the brain. But I was kind of expecting needing to go kill the monster before hitting the next switch, like the switch would close the door again.

I didn't think of that. It's a great idea; I hope you don't mind me using it. (I've already made the changes.)

____________________________
--pladams9

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[Last edited by pladams9 at 11-20-2005 11:09 PM]

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3683
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Agreed, that one was pretty okay. I almost called the H&S for help, but then I realised that there were orbs on the sides

Do continue.

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pladams9
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 30
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OK, here is the updated version:

- Added subkel's idea.
- Fixed Big Door Puzzle (Made it harder, more fun. It's very difficult albeit unecessary to open all the doors.)
- Added a temporary stairway to the floor 2.
- Made the Eye Candy Snake, solvable.

I'm also going to make 2S-4W harder. It's rather boring right now.

____________________________
--pladams9

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3683
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Shall play. I like the improvements.

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larrymurk
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1917
Registered: 12-09-2004
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File: LarryMurks DARN.hold (9.2 KB)
Downloaded 51 times.
License: Public Domain

This hold has an easy-going enjoyable feel to it. It's a pleasure to play.

I have attached an edited version of the hold so you can see any of my following recommendations:


Add save pts. by all stairs.

Level 1-

3N2W: Maybe change the brain to an eye to match the pattern you have going. Then put the brain somewhere at the top maybe.

2N2W- Maybe add a brain.

Level 2-

Entrance: Bug. If the player exits West, the red doors will prevent them from backtracking through this room. You can simply move the doors over 1.

1N1E: The player can easily run out and reenter from the West crushing this room easily. I'd add a green door to prevent this. Also, why not use a green door to allow backtracking here instead of the yellow door?

pladams9
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 30
Registered: 07-31-2005
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File: DARN.hold (8.7 KB)
Downloaded 49 times.
License: Public Domain

K, thanks. I'll add those save points.

Level 1

3N2W - I don't really want to move the brain, because that would make the final roach stage slightly more difficult. I don't think I'll make (m)any more changes to this room as I am very happy with it. One of my best.

2N2W - Thanks for the suggestion; I added one.

Level 2

Entrance - Thanks, I fixed the door.

1N1E - ? There is no such room, and I'm not sure which one you're talking about.

Actually, now that I've looked, I think you mean the winding door room. Your right, I'll add a green door.

OK, I looked again, did some testing, and decided on both a (slightly) better fix and a purpose for the yellow back-track door.

I'll let you look at it.

____________________________
--pladams9

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[Last edited by pladams9 at 11-21-2005 01:50 AM]

Tim
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1979
Registered: 08-07-2004
IP: Logged

I've just played this hold, and yes, it feels like "A purposefully easy hold" as you described.

Some room comments:
L1 General: The only thing I really do not understand is, what do you mean by all those "tribute to the original drod" scrolls?

L1 3N2W: I usually do not like brains in a first level, as brains usually meant that the room are harder than they need to. But to my surprise, it made the room easier this way (and not too tedious like the original version). Way to go!

L1 2N2W: Same comment as 3N2W. I remember the first time I couldn't get those queens out the centre, with the brain they actually are easier to kill

L2 General: I like all the monster rooms. What I do not understand, is that it seemed to be a snake and roach queen level. Personally, I think if you have time, you might want to split into 2 seperate levels. Oh, and the difficulty is definitely a bit higher than the first.

L2 1S1W: This room was quite easy, and fast to complete. So what does the scroll mean?

I personally quite like not-too-hard holds. This one looks really promising (which is good).

-- Tim

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pladams9
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 30
Registered: 07-31-2005
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I don't have time to answer everything right now, but thanks for the feedback! As far as the "tribute" scrolls, all they mean is that I took some of my favorite rooms from the first couple levels of Dugan's Dungeon and used their basic ideas with slight twists/remakes/mixes of different rooms.

Oh, and Level 2 is going to need some major refinement. Right now it seems very thrown together, because that's basically what I did.

Edit: The scroll... Hmmm... I don't remember what I was thinking when I wrote that. Maybe I was being sarcastic. Strange, the only thing I remember is that it made perfect sense when I wrote it.

____________________________
--pladams9

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[Last edited by pladams9 at 11-21-2005 10:21 PM]

pladams9
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 30
Registered: 07-31-2005
IP: Logged

File: DARN.hold (8.7 KB)
Downloaded 60 times.
License: Public Domain

I have now changed the Eye Candy Snake back to eye candy as I discovered that the puzzle I had set up (although simple) was incredibly difficult and possibly impossible. I also "fixed" the trial/error snake door room (not the one that toggles all the doors) so that it is a bit less random orb hitting.

____________________________
--pladams9

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3683
Registered: 10-06-2005
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No! I liked that puzzle. It was easy. All you had to do was stand to the left of the entrance to the roach and then kill the roach

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pladams9
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 30
Registered: 07-31-2005
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What? I couldn't get the roach out! Maybe I'll put back a better version later, but for now I think I'll move on to the Level 3: Rubble. I'll probably make 5 levels in all. Seems like a good number. Number four is going to be huge. At least twice (meaning four times) the size of the first two.

____________________________
--pladams9

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3683
Registered: 10-06-2005
IP: Logged

You didn't need to.



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

pladams9
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 30
Registered: 07-31-2005
IP: Logged

____________________________
--pladams9