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Caravel Forum : DROD Boards : Holds : Imperial Wandering (Player Role Tar Technician puzzles)
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9.0/10 (30 votes)
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Author Name:Chaco
Submitted By:Chaco
Hold Name:Imperial Wandering
Theme:Player Role Tar Technician puzzles
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Number of Levels:15
Number of Rooms:109
Number of Monsters:837
Version:DROD: The City Beneath (3.2)
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Hold Karma:5 (+5 / -0)
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File: Imperial Wandering.hold (90.8 KB)
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icon Imperial Wandering  
53rd Tar Technician has just finished his optional Temporary Period of Rest in order to maintain his energy. In the morning, he needs to talk with 1st Tar Technician in order to discuss the Tar Authority's latest strike against the popularity of mud.

However, what will actually happen to him next has already been determined, and it exposes him to an area that will surely be much more challenging than sitting through a meeting.
12-29-2007 at 12:36 PM
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Chaco
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icon Re: Imperial Wandering (0)  
In my opinion, this is my best hold yet - better than Chaco's Hold, better than Terrakept Resonant, better than anything.

Like my other two holds, this hold will start out fairly simple but you'll be tackling some of my more devious rooms soon enough. But 53rd Tar Technician won't give up! He's not one to back down from anything.

Have fun with this hold - I certainly had fun designing it. Also, one last thing - the hall of mastery in this hold is the largest one yet - there is a ton of bonus material should you get there. :)

EDIT:

Ah, yeah, I forgot something. Some of the rooms in this hold use my Voids 3.0 style. You may want to have that installed if you want to see the level Repulsive Emulsions the way I designed it.

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[Last edited by Chaco at 12-29-2007 07:38 PM]
12-29-2007 at 02:15 PM
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golfrman
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I don't think it's supposed to be anyone edit, although I did love the hall of mastery. :P

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12-29-2007 at 11:55 PM
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Chaco
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Uh, it's all a clever idea by me, so that if you're viewing the hold in the editor, you can truly appreciate my genius and the way I've constructed this hold? Without being blocked from this privilege by any of my devious puzzles which you are unable to solve?

...okay, the real reason is I forgot to set the privileges to You and Masters before we promoted the hold.

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12-30-2007 at 08:31 PM
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jbluestein
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icon Re: Imperial Wandering (+1)  
I don't know that I liked this hold as much as the excellent Terrakept Resonant, but it was still an extremely enjoyable hold.

I give it 6 brains and a 9 rating.

Go Chaco! (Now let's see an SMS out of you!)

Josh

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01-02-2008 at 03:20 PM
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Dischorran
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Mastered!

I give it 6.5 brains, 8 overall, and the "honor" of being my first posted review. I thought the difficulty scaled quite nicely through the hold, especially for those of us who haven't quite wrapped our heads around all the implications of going up against monsters while swordless, particularly the heavy use of mimics.

Specific comments follow.

Click here to view the secret text


Now I'll go enjoy my list of #1 scores before they get clobbered by the second person to make it through.

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01-03-2008 at 09:10 AM
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Chaco
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icon Re: Imperial Wandering (+1)  
I'd like to note that this hold assumes you already know how fegundoes, aumtlich, adders, etc. work - it never gives you any of their movement patterns and it certainly assumes familiarity after the first room.

Now, I would like to know why you had difficulty predicting the builder paths - I was rather proud of Plaster Passages, as I thought it was a good level where the builders' actions were very predictable and the puzzles came from other factors (such as how to use the build markers properly) :)

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[Last edited by Chaco at 01-03-2008 08:46 PM]
01-03-2008 at 08:46 PM
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Dischorran
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icon Re: Imperial Wandering (+12)  
Well, I guess I should say first that my blanket statement about Plaster Passages was horribly unfair to 3N, which brought back very nice memories of playing Heaven and Earth back in high school. And mimics are familiar enough, I'm just not quite as used to hiding behind them while they slash away for me; same goes for the other elements, substituting "fleeing from" for "hiding behind". :)

As for the rest (which I can't really discuss without giving away solutions)...
Click here to view the secret text

So anyway, I really did enjoy the hold, and certainly didn't mean to get bogged down in a few minor issues.

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01-03-2008 at 10:36 PM
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Remlin
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I had that same issue with the room. The silly builders don't stand still when they have nowhere to go, they swivel in place, and somehow that effects the length of their path once they do have a destination? I still don't fully understand those guys.

But Chaco, I think you do a great job of making builder behavior mostly predictable, both in this hold and Terrakept, which I do appreciate. It's probably impossible to completely eliminate confusing looking behavior from such complicated elements. Hell, even roaches still sometimes confuse me.
01-03-2008 at 11:29 PM
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golfrman
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icon Re: Imperial Wandering (+2)  
Hell, walls confuse me half the time.

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01-04-2008 at 07:20 AM
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Jacob
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I'd got up to Plaster Passages as a beta-tester and got stuck on a couple of rooms there.

But regardless, this hold is awesome and very, very clever.
I look forward to finishing it.

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01-04-2008 at 12:14 PM
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Syntax
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icon Re: Imperial Wandering (+1)  
Jacob wrote:
I'd got up to Plaster Passages as a beta-tester and got stuck on a couple of rooms there.
Good luck with Repulsive Emulsions then :) I am *struggling*!

Some excellent and novel ideas though. Definitely 8 difficulty and 9 fun.

As an aside, I had to switch of the Voids style for that level unfortunately because I just couldn't get used to it. Easier layouts might be more apt for custom styles, as having to relearn the look of more than a few elements a time is extremely tough - Especially with this difficulty level :)
01-04-2008 at 12:18 PM
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iamyum
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icon Re: Imperial Wandering (+1)  
Finally finished the required rooms in the hall of mastery level. Engaging story, realistic dialogue, eye-pleasing layout, ingenious and fun puzzles without tedium. 7 for difficulty and an unreserved 10 for fun.

Specifics:
Case Study is a good introduction to the swordless theme while enemies are friendly until using the power token. Every room is quite neat and I especially like 1E when bridges fall. :P The secret room seems to put more elements then needed to distract you from the solution.

Sabers chamber is a solid progression in difficulty. 2S1E is a good mimic workout. The nontrivial secret room is the gem of the level without being too difficult.

Mud Tanks is awesome. 2N2W, 3N1W are good mud-containing puzzles, and the secret room puts up a good fight.

Dark corridor is dark. In general I don't like darkness and it's just me. 1S1E is a one of my favorite multi-pass rooms. 1S2W and the secret version level shows a new "use" of amutlich. 2S2E took me forever to prevent the roach from its premature death, until I realized the real guy and the clone are both part of the puzzle.

Plaster passages, in general, is a little too easy. The solutions and the execution part are mostly obvious. 2W is my least favorite with the exact timing. I was too lazy and just kept my finger of the wait button until they finally syncrhonize. I did enjoy 3N and 1N1W, to be fair.

Repulsive Emulsions is a gem. 2W is my favorite. Then comes 2S1W with gel manipulation. 2S is weird. I'm not sure why 3 mimics are provided. I think, with tact, one mimic is possible and two are definitely enough. I also didn't use the knobs in any of the three corridors. The secret room is also fun. When I was initially stuck in the room, the message on the note was quite ironic.

Hall of mastery is another solid level. The bottom right rooms are great variations of the same theme, with 3S2E and 4S2E being my favorites. Took me awhile to figure out how to activate both bombs in 3E. The only unrequired rooms I conquered at this time is 2S, which had essentially the exact same solution. I don't know why you took away the pressure plate either. I felt that particular plate os part of the puzzle.
01-14-2008 at 02:51 PM
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Chaco
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iamyum wrote:
I'm not sure why 3 mimics are provided. I think, with tact, one mimic is possible and two are definitely enough. I also didn't use the knobs in any of the three corridors.

Oh dear. I'd better look at your demo. You're supposed to need all three, of course. :?

Thanks for the detailed review! For Plaster Passages 2W I intentionally set it up so that if you just want to "skip" the room, you can settle for having a lousy score on it, but if you want to do well and solve the room in a satisfying manner, you have to get the builders synchronized immediately.

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01-14-2008 at 08:10 PM
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iamyum
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File: IW Repulsive Emulsions 2S Victory.demo (2.6 KB)
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Sure, here's the demo. I think the "deviation" from the intended mimic use are
Click here to view the secret text

I don't think the puzzle is vastly simplified. Just a little different solution.
01-14-2008 at 10:01 PM
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larrymurk
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Thanks for another solid, fun hold Chaco.
01-15-2008 at 05:57 PM
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mxvladi
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That's brilliant hold!!! I tried to make swordless persons' holds, but they failed. You have great puzzle creation skill indeed! :thumbsup
04-14-2008 at 07:14 PM
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Mr. Slice
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This is indeed an excellent hold. It is fun because it's story is interesting without being overpowering. Also, the puzzles are difficult but most of them are lypchnic (don't know how to spell it) puzzles with the interesting twist of unusuality with the unique signature style of Chaco.

To sum it all up in 3 words, Great hold, Chaco!

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04-14-2008 at 11:43 PM
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Blondbeard
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Finnished!

A very enjoyable hold!
04-17-2008 at 01:23 PM
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calamarain
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I'm already on Plaster Passages...

...and I have to say that this is quite literally the best usermade hold I've ever played. The balance of puzzles and difficulty is just right, hard enough to challenge but not too hard. The story is sparse but engaging, and different. The use of the Tar Technician role adds uniqueness.

I would highly recommend this hold to anyone. There's a lot of other very good holds out there, but this one is the best.

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04-26-2008 at 03:11 PM
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CuriousShyRabbit
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icon Re: Imperial Wandering (+1)  
Thanks to Chaco for fixing this hold and to Schik for his prompt update of this hold. This is now a 3.2 hold. :)

The changed rooms are in the Hall of Mastery. 1S1E, 2S1E, 2S2E, 3S1E, 3S2E, 4S1E, and 4S2E were based on a behavior that no longer exists in 3.2, and became both impossible to play and impossible to fix. Here's the H&S thread where the trouble was discovered.

Since hold updates require that the fixed hold have the same number of rooms as the original hold, the impossible rooms couldn't just be deleted. So instead, Chaco has marked them unrequired, blocked them off, and filled them in. Players have obviously lost their highscores for these puzzles that no longer exist, and you can't explore 100% of the Hall of Mastery anymore (what's that I see in the editor? ;)). But now it is once more possible to drop the blue door in the Hall of Mastery and reach the inspirational message that lies beyond. Yay! :)

[Last edited by CuriousShyRabbit at 07-18-2008 03:04 AM]
07-14-2008 at 04:17 AM
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Tahnan
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Just played this--well, I'd played part of it, but got stuck in the mud for, mmm, let's say a few years. Finally finished it, top to bottom*, and I can't recommend it highly enough. There's a lot in here that's really good, including the story, which is remarkably engaging. If you haven't looked at this hold, give it a shot!

*Where by "bottom" I mean "everything except that one post-mastery room because dear god.
09-24-2010 at 06:38 AM
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Ezlo
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Post-Mastered.

I have to say it's interesting to see my name in the credits, I don't remember testing this hold at all! Glad to see that I'm just as much an idiot now as I was then. I loved the builder puzzles, especially Plaster Passages: Thrice North as well as it's Hall of Mastery equivalent. Unique ideas done fantastically well.

Can't wait for your SMS later this spring, it will be just as fantastic I'm sure!
05-04-2011 at 08:07 PM
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Neather2
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I have to admit that this is an awesome hold. I'm playing it -actually the corridors level - and it contains some easy but really enjoyable and original rooms. I like that style of hold-building, not hard but really funny. The rooms force you to think-and-try, and that's nice. I try to give some starting votes: 6 brains, 10 for fun.

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05-28-2011 at 12:28 PM
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navithmastero
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Played through this and wanted to see how it held up today. The storyline is good and fleshes out the hold nicely. In terms of puzzles, they felt quite easy by today's standard (there were only two rooms which caused me any sort of trouble) and overall it felt very approachable. Some of the rooms felt a little tedious, although these were few and far between and none of them were overly annoying. The level design was *really* nice, the use of lighting, obstacles, weather, it all felt perfect and this really added to the enjoyment and polish of the hold. Note that some of the rooms can feel tricky to parse at first but nothing is hidden from the player so a little inspection into what orbs do what pays off.

Overall then, this is still a really good hold and is worth playing.

Difficulty 5.5
Fun 8.5

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[Last edited by navithmastero at 03-01-2019 07:23 AM]
09-21-2018 at 03:01 PM
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Kaelyn
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icon Re: Imperial Wandering (+4)  
Postmastered! (Except for three of the four unrequired rooms because no. 2S was great though.)

Right off the bat, this is an incredible hold! If you're familiar with how the pre-4.0 elements work, you should try this out right now. Most rooms take a known concept and either iterate on it (like Dank Corridors 2S 2E, or Plaster Passages 1S 1W), or introduce little twists in the form of unique element interactions (like the Sabers Chambers secret room, or my favorite, Plaster Passages 3N and its harder version in the Hall of Mastery). And then there are singularly brilliant gems like Repulsive Emulsions 2W that are simply a treat to tease the solution out of.

That's not to say every room is glorious. Criticisms are secreted because they're kinda long and nit-picky.
Click here to view the secret text

The visual style is great. Every level feels distinct -- not just in terms of room styles, but also lighting and space. Case Study is full of rooms that are cold and open and bright, perfect for an experimental environment. Dank Corridors is dark and cramped and features the movement-limiting aumtlich: a chilling cherry on this claustrophobic sundae. Mud Tanks is (ironically) clean and official. Plaster Passages looks like it's been hewn from the Beneath very recently. It's all appropriate. My only problem with the visuals is the voids style used in Repulsive Emulsions. I didn't download the style until after I conquered the level, thank goodness for that. I don't recommend using the voids style for anything -- including this level. (Sorry, man. I appreciate the effort though.)

Last, the story: it's fun and interesting and simple. It ties the hold together in a good way. I wouldn't mind seeing the adventures of Mr. Pernle down the line, or maybe the Empire's attempts to bring him back. Maybe he'll become a proper smitemaster? Maybe he's Gadhan's source for Imperial gossip? Who knows!

In conclusion, this is a good, good hold. If you have a few hours to spare, go play it. It's the archetypal DROD hold. In my opinion, this is what most DROD holds aspire to be. :)
6.5 brains
9 fun
(It looks like Chaco has built other holds. Guess what I'm checking out next?)

[Last edited by Kaelyn at 02-28-2019 08:40 PM]
02-28-2019 at 08:31 PM
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Chaco
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Thanks for the kind words and careful critiques! I really appreciate this, even 12 years after the fact. (Wow, does time fly.) I'll see if I can respond to some of this.

For SABERS 1S3E I think it was just meant to be a parsing challenge, and a distraction from the east half of the room. Having trouble figuring out what I was thinking.

Mud Tanks 2N is definitely all about misdirection. There are maybe slightly too many trapdoors in the north section, but it at least enforces a bit of tactical play and makes optimization a bit more interesting. I can see what you mean though.

The other diagonal mimics in Dank Corridors 1S1E are just to lend a bit of symmetry to the room, and make the little bit at the South entrance slightly less obvious. They're a bit unnecessary though, you're right.

Plaster Passages 1N1W certainly seems chaotic but I think this is one case where you have to have faith that I hate builder chaos just as much as you do. :p

For some of the rest, I think the execution-heavy rooms were deliberately meant to be execution-heavy and parsing-light, as well as just a break in different flavor from other rooms on the same level. I could maybe have done more to spice them up though (or had a bit more restraint for Repulsive Emulsions 1S2W, sorry Nuntar). For others, part of the awkwardness was an attempt to avoid introducing extra elements into levels that otherwise didn't use them (e.g. not adding an adder to Mud Tanks 1N1E), and part of it was just for making cool mechanisms for their own sake.

I'd like to think I've learned a lot since then (especially with how to do more with less, simpler enforcement widgets, helpful conveyance and clues for the player). But if you enjoyed this old hold then that's great too. :)

I hope to re-visit this story someday too, self-insert and all.

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02-28-2019 at 10:59 PM
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