DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

File: Caverns of Animus.hold (46.1 KB)
Downloaded 146 times.
License: Other
From: Unspecified

I've been sitting on this hold for months, mostly because I couldn't decide what to do with a few of the levels. I think I've come up with an amicable solution for them, so here's my new hold: Caverns of Animus. This is meant to be a sequel to King Reubus' Palace, and I might eventually combine the two. For now though, I'd love any and all feedback on this creation of mine.

Edit: This hold went through an extensive private beta nine months ago, and I don't want to leave those testers out of the credits anywhere. Without their help, parts of this hold would be attrocious. Special thanks to:

jdyer
bandit1200
Watcher
Drizzo

I'm sorry if I missed anyone, I had to dig through my PMs to see who it was.

[Edited by DiMono at Local Time:02-13-2005 at 07:00 AM]

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!

Doom
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3226
Registered: 07-05-2004
IP: Logged

I need some help in Once Down: 1S2W. I can survive the roaches and lead one roach down to the serpents but I can kill only other one of those 2 serpents in the middle. Did I screw up already or can I still beat the room from that position?

EDIT: I spent a lot time with that room but got in in one minute after posting
Really tricky...

[Edited by Doom at Local Time:02-13-2005 at 10:26 PM]

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

Yeah, this hold is a lot more evil than Reubus was. Wait until you get to Thrice Down, there's some "eye candy" waiting for you.

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!

Blood Maggot
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 42
Registered: 06-28-2004
IP: Logged

Well, it's quite a good hold. I got bored about halfway and decided to fiddle about with the editor, and I discovered the "middle of nowhere" level, which doesn't seem to have an exit. Was this put there just to annoy people?

Doom
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3226
Registered: 07-05-2004
IP: Logged

Is "Level 4" possible? I've figured all orb actions and found out how to open all doors but my best solution without babies has only 4 spare moves before the tar mother blocks the passage and I can't make it in time with tar babies.

What about Thrice Down: 1N1E? If I try to clear other one of those side tar-blobs, the other side gets blocked. If I try to be fast I can kill all tar mothers but I can't kill all tar babies that spawn next to cleared trapdoors.

Oh, and the "Middle of Nowhere" wouldn't be that bad but it's really annoying the way you use it. Some kind of warning could be good...

stigant
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1182
Registered: 08-19-2004
IP: Logged

Level 4 is possible.





____________________________
Progress Quest Progress

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

I've conquered every room in the hold at least once, so I can guarantee it's possible.

The Middle of Nowhere is where you go if you take the wrong path on The Long Ascent level. It's totally vacant as an indicator that you should go restore. Remember, the Caverns were carved out by a sadistic trickster.

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!

Doom
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3226
Registered: 07-05-2004
IP: Logged

Uh... I can almost do Level 4. I can make it to the passage in time but there's always a few tar babies right behind me that kill me in the passage because I can't defend against them and block a tar baby from forming in the passage at the same time.

Oh, and I think I got the Thrice Down room. I was only missing something simple...

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

You might want to try different sword orientations on your trip to the top-left corner. I think Level 4 is the hardest room in the entire hold, actually.

Oh, on the topic of finding out the effects of orbs, in JtRH you can click on an orb and see what it does, which is really cool.

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!

stigant
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1182
Registered: 08-19-2004
IP: Logged

Doom wrote:
Uh... I can almost do Level 4. I can make it to the passage in time but there's always a few tar babies right behind me that kill me in the passage because I can't defend against them and block a tar baby from forming in the passage at the same time.

Yeah, its quite frustrating, but there is a way (because of the brain) to either kill the spawned baby or prevent its spawning, and still get your sword around fast enough to dispatch the up and comers.

____________________________
Progress Quest Progress

jdyer
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 330
Registered: 03-19-2003
IP: Logged

Level 4 is beatable.

However, it is one of the hardest DROD rooms I have ever come across, and that includes the real nasty ones from The Steps and Bavuto's.

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

jdyer wrote:
Level 4 is beatable.

However, it is one of the hardest DROD rooms I have ever come across, and that includes the real nasty ones from The Steps and Bavuto's.

It's not really that bad. You only need to...


On a slightly unrelated note, I know I've seen it and all the other levels connected to "the Fruit of Life" before somewhere.

[Edited by agaricus5 at Local Time:02-15-2005 at 11:02 PM]

____________________________
Resident Medic/Mycologist

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

In reply to agaricus5:

Indeed you have. If you go digging back almost a year in this forum you'll find I tossed up a hold called Fork in the Road to demonstrate how you could use dungeon elements to mimic anti-green doors that closed when all the monsters in the room were killed. On its own it was never going to go anywhere, because DROD:AE doesn't save your level progress when you return to it, but in this hold it gets to serve a purpose.

Edit: My mistake, it was called The Forked Path, and here it is.

[Edited by DiMono at Local Time:02-15-2005 at 11:13 PM]

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!

stigant
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1182
Registered: 08-19-2004
IP: Logged

I haven't finished this room yet (I really need to find a good way to mark where the eyes can see...) but in Twice Down 2N1E:


____________________________
Progress Quest Progress

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!

Dali
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 174
Registered: 02-05-2005
IP: Logged

Yeah your hold is quier great. but there is one room that i really can't solve: long ascent 3N 1E. I don't know where i must put my mimic!!
Also Twolce Down 1N 1E is hard to figure.



[Edited by Dali at Local Time:02-17-2005 at 05:30 PM]

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

Yeah, some of the rooms are pretty nasty. You have no idea how long it took me to get the snake-infested room of Twice Down just right.

My main concern with this hold is the Fruit of Life levels. Are the clues discernable enough that you were able to solve the puzzle? Is the backdoor I installed in case of bad navigation reasonable?

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!

stigant
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1182
Registered: 08-19-2004
IP: Logged

What about Thrice Down: 1N1E? If I try to clear other one of those side tar-blobs, the other side gets blocked. If I try to be fast I can kill all tar mothers but I can't kill all tar babies that spawn next to cleared trapdoors.

You have to be pretty quick, but you can clear all the tar on the right side from the bottom up and get over to the left side tar before its blocked.

The stairs in twolce down lead back to twolce down... Is that supposed to be the last level?

Fruit of Life levels... I gotta say I'm not a fan of this. I think in JTRH since there is support for multiple entries to a level, this could work better, but I'm really just irritated by it in AE.

Is FoL: 1N1W solvable? And is that the stairs to the Long Ascent? I haven't found that or the Midle of Nowhere.

____________________________
Progress Quest Progress

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

The stairs in Twolce Down lead to The Long Ascent. I verified the stairs immediately before exporting the hold, so it's really weird that they're broken again. And yes, FoL 1N1W is possible.

I really wanted to run FoL in a more straight-forward way, but that would have required the JtRH ability to preserve level progress. This hold's been on ice long enough already.

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!

stigant
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1182
Registered: 08-19-2004
IP: Logged

Heh, I looked in the editor, and the stairs in twolce down lead to two different places... part of the stairs lead to long ascent, but the part of the stairs that you can actually reach lead back to twolce down.

____________________________
Progress Quest Progress

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

That's funny, but considering what I've done to the stairs in the hold it makes sense, too. I'll fix the rest of the stairs for the next release.

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!

stigant
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1182
Registered: 08-19-2004
IP: Logged

edit: nevermind, I got it now.

[Edited by stigant at Local Time:02-19-2005 at 08:07 PM]

____________________________
Progress Quest Progress

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

Since nobody's spoken up about problems or quick solutions, should I promote this to the Holds section, and release a JtRH version with a better Fruit of Life portion when available?

...And I've fixed the stairs in Twolce down... the cheeky tricks I use...

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!

Atch
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 81
Registered: 08-29-2003
IP: Logged

In How Things Work we are told that there is a preferred order in which to do the exit rooms in The Fruit of Life (1, 2, 3, 4) but since we weren’t to know that I completely overlooked your clues. It is a minor point but if you clear the entrance when you first arrive, as any DROD player would naturally do, you have no option but to then go on to exit rooms 3 or 4.

Apart from missing The Long Ascent and the stairs bug at Twolce Down, I encountered no problems assuming that The Middle of Nowhere is just another bit of fun for the Editor

Most challenging room: Level 4.

Favourite level: Twice Down. I hated it at first but 2N, 1E here was a contender for the most challenging room – I entered from the west and didn’t need to have the second mimic strike the orb in the NW in order to clear the room.

Least favourite level: Twolce Down – too many orb puzzles for me.

All in all a first-class hold and I look forward to doing it again when it reaches that forum. In the meantime I shall try The Long Ascent in the Editor and may report back on that.

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

Atch wrote:
In How Things Work we are told that there is a preferred order in which to do the exit rooms in The Fruit of Life (1, 2, 3, 4) but since we weren’t to know that I completely overlooked your clues. It is a minor point but if you clear the entrance when you first arrive, as any DROD player would naturally do, you have no option but to then go on to exit rooms 3 or 4.

This isn't the way I originally wanted this part of the hold to work, but I didn't have much choice without waiting for JtRH. As for clearing the entrance, I always figured the player would see that you can't return once going North, and would go West first.

Apart from missing The Long Ascent and the stairs bug at Twolce Down, I encountered no problems assuming that The Middle of Nowhere is just another bit of fun for the Editor

I've fixed the stairs bug on my computer, but since it's anyone-edit right now I won't bother uploading the fixed version here. Actually that reminds me, I need to change it from anyone-edit for the upload to the Holds section. And yes, The Middle of Nowhere was me having fun. There are about 15 staircases that go to it if you misstep in The Long Ascent.

Most challenging room: Level 4.

I agree

Favourite level: Twice Down. I hated it at first but 2N, 1E here was a contender for the most challenging room – I entered from the west and didn’t need to have the second mimic strike the orb in the NW in order to clear the room.

Again, I agree. Third Down was up there for me too

Least favourite level: Twolce Down – too many orb puzzles for me.

Can't please everyone Actually, it was my first attemp at an orb-heavy level.

All in all a first-class hold and I look forward to doing it again when it reaches that forum. In the meantime I shall try The Long Ascent in the Editor and may report back on that.

Thank you.

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!

stigant
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1182
Registered: 08-19-2004
IP: Logged

As for clearing the entrance, I always figured the player would see that you can't return once going North, and would go West first.

If the player went to the trouble of figuring that out, they would have also realized that if you go west first, you can't come back and beat the room either. Since the first thought in anybody's mind when you come into a room is "how do I beat it?" and since, even on further reflection, there's no obvious advantage to not beating it, I think most people (myself included) are going to go North first.



____________________________
Progress Quest Progress

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

See, this is what happens when you forget what your own rooms look like before posting.

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

Since it's been here for almost a month and nobody's pointed out any glaring errors, I've promoted this to the Holds board. Thank you for taking the time to test this, I really appreciate it.

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!