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[challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core

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Offline egomassive

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[challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« on: September 05, 2010, 02:21:44 »
The Dying Core is a level I started making for the Sections KS level competition. It revolves around a new character, June. She gets keys from a main machine in order to restore power to sub-machines. It's going to be a very simple level when completed.

I only finished 25% of the work on the level by the competition's deadline, so I submitted it as a demo. The demo is available on my website, egomassive.com. I recommend waiting for the finished project. Your comments and critiques are welcome.

The tilesets are all mine. I created a yellow submarine set based on Nifflas' An Underwater Adventure sets for forum member Bioshock. I expanded on the set for this level. I intend to include 8-bit creative commons music throughout and 3 fully realized cutscenes -like those in A Knytt in Time.

In the pictures below you can see, the main machine, the yellow key section, and the blue key section.
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Zydragazum

Re: [challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2010, 02:43:57 »
Looks good. The initial dialog was great and its mechanics reminded me of Shipwrecked. I'm not that comfortable with the circuitry because it's rather blurred and not pixelated, so it kind of doesn't fit the rooms it's in, but otherwise, the level's a good start. I also noticed that you may have taken quite a good bit of influence from Submachine 6. If my assumption is right, you could have at least stated that to avoid being butchered for lack of originality by people who've played it. :/

After playing this, I wish I had entered the competition. :(
« Last Edit: September 05, 2010, 02:50:03 by Zydragazum »
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Offline PeppyHare4000

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Re: [challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2010, 03:41:07 »
It seemed like i setup a good competition.
Anyways, Keep up the good work. I would like to see the full version.
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Offline egomassive

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Re: [challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2010, 07:08:14 »
@ Zydragazum: I never played Submachine 6. Isn't that a point-and-click, escape-the-room series? I don't see how that could be similar. The inspirations are as follows:
Graphics: Nifflas - An Underwater Adventure
Graphics: Markham Caroll - Ancient Technology tileset
Gameplay: Fredulom - Chamber of Trials
Settings and Dialogue: A mesh of too many experiences to pinpoint specific influences.
Elemental Themes: Various philosophies predating atomic theory (and jrpgs)

As far as a lack of originality goes, I don't claim this to be original in the least. It's a rehashing of old ideas. Once I put the story elements in, it should feel a little less been-there-done-that, but even those are just a spin on a story that's been told time and time again. So, why did I even make it? To add some competition to the competition. That's all.
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Offline Grookie

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Re: [challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2010, 08:50:37 »
AWESOME!!!
But i think, it is too large to demo (1/2 of "chambers" with keys), but I will LIKE to play the full version!

(and I am very curious for your level, about which you said, that it will be finished by the end of the year (with the forest, dark brown underground, some kind of city and sewers))
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Spoiler: Archievements (click to show/hide)
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Offline Purple Pineapple

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Re: [challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2010, 16:24:03 »
Dude! That is just awesome beyond words.
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Offline Enavesca

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Re: [challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« Reply #6 on: September 06, 2010, 18:05:05 »
Played it yesterday evening and...Wow !
The way the level is designed with the colored areas, the strange machine, the puzzles are perfect ! Not too complicated or not too easy, just right !

Awesome work, keep it up !  :D
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Offline egomassive

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Re: [challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« Reply #7 on: September 10, 2010, 02:08:03 »
Spoiler: Update (click to show/hide)

Glad the demo is going over so well. I wasn't enthusiastic about this level to begin with. When I started making The Dying Core, it looked as though Antikythera was the only one participating in the competition. I don't think anyone wants to win by default, so I endeavored to make a level that was somewhat refined and good for a single play-through -not good enough to win. It's hard for me to aim for mediocrity though, which impeded it's creation. Your interest is spurring me onward. Thank you all.
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Offline sergiocornaga

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Re: [challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« Reply #8 on: September 10, 2010, 13:27:52 »
I was incredibly impressed by how well the enemies work in this. I love the hiding spaces you've put everywhere, it makes the turrets work in a way that they rarely do in other levels. However, I found x982y1006 to be virtually impossible... is there some trick I'm missing, or do you think it should be altered?

I don't share Zydragazum's problems with the graphics. For me, they are fine. In fact, I really dig the resemblance to An Underwater Adventure.
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Offline egomassive

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Re: [challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« Reply #9 on: September 10, 2010, 16:09:18 »
^: There's no trick to it. The demo lacks fine tuning. I have slightly altered that room and others for the official release. Each section only has a few enemy types, so it's challenging to come up with clever ways to use them. On top of that, I've restricted my enemy choices to robots and mechanical traps.
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Offline Talps

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Re: [challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« Reply #10 on: September 11, 2010, 23:46:55 »
This is very exciting.

But posting a demo and telling us not to play it?! That's so cruel! :P
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Offline egomassive

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Re: [challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« Reply #11 on: September 12, 2010, 03:47:46 »
@^: Sorry, I don't like showing my work half finished. If it weren't for the competition's deadline there wouldn't be a demo. However, if it weren't for the competition there wouldn't be a level.

I couldn't bring myself to post the demo in the level release thread, since it's truly just a preview of the level. We're not allowed to post links to playable levels here, so I was hoping that linking to an article about it on my gaming blog which contains a link to the demo, and then telling you not to play it is enough of a loophole for the moderators to let it slide. ... hmm... Maybe I should report myself. :)
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Offline Purple Pineapple

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Re: [challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« Reply #12 on: September 12, 2010, 08:09:57 »
Quote from: egomassive on September 12, 2010, 03:47:46
Maybe I should report myself. :)
It's impossible.
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Offline Talps

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Re: [challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« Reply #13 on: September 15, 2010, 01:43:59 »
That's ok egomassive; I'll report you for you ;)
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Offline Headgrinder

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Re: [challenge/hard/medium]The Dying Core
« Reply #14 on: September 24, 2010, 00:17:39 »
Apparently I downloaded this demo a while back and just now installed and played it.  I really like it!  This really has some great atmosphere, and aligning the key colors with area colors worked really well in this instant.  The tilesets are looking fantastic and I'm intrigued by the story thus far.  I'm looking forward to seeing the end product.  

And I'm SOOOOO GLAAAAD I can play this level without cursing, frustrating, dying 100 times!  I died a few times, but it was far from the agony of a hard stage, most of which I've given up ever attempting.  Good job on a decent challenge!  

Chances are you know, but there is a purple screen above screen x982y1005.

Just a note on the tilesets, the lamps look fantastic in the blue and gray area as they have a real feel of illuminating the area.  However the yellow, and I'm thinking maybe the red too, doesn't feel like it really illuminates anything because the whole tileset is so bright.  Meh... probably doesn't matter. 

And another note, it isn't like submachine at all, but not because it is a side scroller.  Way too mundane and normal to be like a submachine.  ;)  No matter your game style preference, if you like dark mysteries I highly recommend them.  

« Last Edit: September 24, 2010, 00:21:47 by Headgrinder »
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