Cheapo Level List Game

[Proxima]

Ok, gross exaggeration, but it's certainly rather dull since all you get to do is to build.  Some would find the level a bit slow-paced (others would say "relaxing" ) due to the repeated building, low RR, and slow music.  The required multitasking only makes things slightly more annoying by forcing you to scroll back and forth every now and then over a rather large level area.

It's a fair point..... on the other hand, I couldn't bear the thought of people being able to bash and dig all over my wonderful friends!

I'm kind of hoping this level won't stand out (in a bad way) too much when it's in the complete set; I've learnt a lot about level designing since my early days and I'm trying to cut down on the number of levels that are mainly building. I just wondered if people thought it was so bad that it really needs to be changed?

[ccexplore]

I'm kind of hoping this level won't stand out (in a bad way) too much when it's in the complete set;

It's fine, just that most of the other levels in the set seem more interesting in comparison.  I think "Lemming tower of pizza" might be the only exception to that...... :

In any case, you're not seriously thinking of taking out the level with the picture of your girlfriend, are you? ;D

Of course, if you do think of ways of making the level more interesting, be my guest, but I won't sweat it.

[Proxima]

Of course I wasn't thinking of taking the level out.... just seeing if I could change it a bit. I'll have a look at it, anyhow.

And yah. Since you don't like "Lemming Tower of Pizza" either, I'm going to up the save requirement to 15/30. Then at least it will be unique in one way -- absolutely horrible precision!

[ccexplore]

And yah. Since you don't like "Lemming Tower of Pizza" either, I'm going to up the save requirement to 15/30. Then at least it will be unique in one way -- absolutely horrible precision!

Now that I've actually played that level for 15/30, it actually wasn't as bad as I imagined.  Yes you'll have to replay numerous times, but since it's short, it never feels as slow-paced as ZBB.  The replay really helps to counteract the precision required.

Incidentally, you do realize for that level that if there are 30 climbers, you can save 23/30?

[Proxima]

Incidentally, you do realize for that level that if there are 30 climbers, you can save 23/30?

Let me guess.... make a pit with two bombers to contain the crowd while the bridge is being built? I can't remember offhand whether the platform is deep enough.

[Proxima]

I've uploaded a new version with the following changes:

* I've done something rather different with "Lemmings of the ZBB" (as well as replacing two of the photos, but that's a ZBB matter... no-one I've fallen out with, just old friends leaving and new ones being made). I couldn't figure out how to make it into a puzzle level, but I've gone for "short and annoying" in preference to "long and boring". At least it does something none of my other levels do -- that, to me, makes it worth its place. In a set of 180 levels (hopefully), you've got to have one that tests your multitasking and listening for clicks skills to a really annoying extent. Just one.

* "The Lemming Tower of Pizza" now requires 15/30 to be saved. Same rationale -- I have to have just one level that tests pinpoint precision.

* "The Hotel in Hell" has been radically de-backrouted and moved to a later position in the set. Speaking of which, ccexplore, did you ever find the intended solution, or do you want me to give it to you?

And now, who's going to take on "Vignette"?

[Ice_Eagle]

I'm going to review level 8 instead. I like that level.

[chaos_defrost]

Level 7: Vignette

Skills: 2 blockers, 5 builders, 2 diggers
Save: 100%

Good: Teaches the player a rather useful trick for releasing blockers. Also, the design is very nice, like a lot of your levels.
Bad: Suffers from not having enough incorrect options for the player -- it would be hard to find the solution, but there's almost nothing to try but the correct solution.

[Ice_Eagle]

Level 8: Changing of the Guards

Save 5/10
Time: 1 min
Skills: 1 of everything except miner and basher
RR 50

Good:
1. I find it fun to find the solution in this level. This is one of my favorite levels.
2. The music matches the level.
3. The style itself is great - including the new trap with the bubbles shooting out of the gun. They make the level look very nice and catchy.

Bad: Timing that bomber is annoying, but other than that the level is excellent!

[ccexplore]

* "The Hotel in Hell" has been radically de-backrouted and moved to a later position in the set. Speaking of which, ccexplore, did you ever find the intended solution, or do you want me to give it to you?

I'll let you know when I found a solution.  Hard as it might be to believe, there are some days in which I do things besides solving Cheapo levels.

I suppose someone should re-review ZBB now that you've changed it.

[Ice_Eagle]

Another strange glitch when trying to create levels for the two Special Graphic Styles:

6) When clicking on a "What an AWESOME level" piece or an "A BeastII of a level" piece all I see is part of the piece. Only the "MENACING" pieces show whole pieces when clicking on them.

[ccexplore]

Another strange glitch when trying to create levels for the two Special Graphic Styles:

6) When clicking on a "What an AWESOME level" piece or an "A BeastII of a level" piece all I see is part of the piece. Only the "MENACING" pieces show whole pieces when clicking on them.

Good catch.  The problem is the background color for the terrain bitmap is a color that also occurs in a good number of the "Awesome" and "BeastII" pieces.

Cheapo relies on the background color of the bitmap (a shade of gray in this particular style) to tell where the terrain pieces begin and end, and so this is why you only get partial pieces here--Cheapo encounters the pixel in the piece that matches the background color, and Cheapo thinks it reaches the end of the piece and stops loading the rest.

[Proxima]

Very peculiar -- you haven't seen my level "The Land of Nightmare" but it uses pieces from all three sub-styles and I didn't have any problems. Nor have I changed the background colour since.

However -- with some regret, I have to add -- to get rid of the problem I've replaced the background with the same purplish colour the other styles use.  Makes it look a lot less snazzy, but at least it functions correctly. Re-download "styles1" and "styles2" to get the new versions (for both Xtnd and Xtnd2).

Also -- sorry about this -- please re-download the preview set. I hadn't realised that because I'd given the new version of the ZBB level a different filename while I was testing it, when I generated the set it still used the old one!

[Ice_Eagle]

Anyone doing level 9?

[Proxima]

Probably not, it's another boring lots-of-building level. Leave it a bit longer, though, just in case someone feels up to it.