I have no talent (or Thinking about killing yourself?)

[toblix]

I finally published my LBP masterpiece level. If I have to estimate (and, you know, I don't) I'd say I've spent somewhere between 75 and 100 hours creating and testing this baby. If you were thinking about killing yourself just now, do me a favour and play my level first. Maybe, just maybe, it'll give you a reason to live.

My level has bullet points such as:

• No Idle Thumbs stuff
  
• You start next to some shit I never ended up using in the level
  
• The level opens in medias res: The evil wizard has stolen your thing! Chase him to the top of his tower and get it back. The wizard's tower is full of strange rooms and chambers, and also it's a rickety mess of collapsing stuff. Will you make it out alive? In my experience you will three out of four times. Also, there's no wizard.
  
• Race a sweet car through an exploding cardboard volcano! Be careful not to fall out of or break the car, since you'll need it to escape! Will you make it out in time before the volcano entrance collapses? If the trigger I set up works like it should, you will! But only barely!
  
• Explore the green mountain with the car you still have. It's a steep climb, but if you're careful you'll make it to the top. Watch out, though, because the little men who live in the mountain have blocked the bridge! Will you be able to infiltrate their underground cave and secret lab?
  
• The wizard was not happy about you escaping his tower, and has launched an attack on a nearby area. The wizard knows no mercy. Your heart will break and you will cry as you make your way through a broken, war-torn landscape at night. Be careful, or you'll be chased by an electric dragon!
  
• Going up? Having finally escaped the wizards elite forces, the elevator will take you safely to your destination... or will it? Rumor has it the lift has been "acting up" lately. Make sure to hold on! You wouldn't want to fall out onto the boring ice slide!
  
• After the boring ice slide, you'll be thrust deep into the machine! This ancient device has gone mad over the ages. And guess who has to traverse his very innards? You has! Watch out so you don't burn on his dying mechanics and fall back to the start.
  
• Oh, no! Just when you thought you were done, there's another part! This time the wizard has risen from the dead, and with one final effort he tries to squash you with giant glass cubes. Will you be able to traverse the slippery slope while dodging the wizards periodic attacks?
  
• Fall down a chute and onto the finish! Watch out so you don't get stuck on the edges I couldn't be bothered to fix!
  

With this finally out of my system, I can start playing MGS4!

[James]

Does that mean I'll stop seeing you as "Empty Level 1/4" in my PSN friends list?

[Nevsky]

Any chance of a video? Would like to see your handywork.

[toblix]

Any chance of a video? Would like to see your handywork.

No, you have to play it to experience it. And you have to buy the game to play it. And you have to buy a PS3, also.

[SignorSuperdouche]

No, you have to play it to experience it. And you have to buy the game to play it. And you have to buy a PS3, also.

Pffft, killing myself is way cheaper than that.

[toblix]

Pffft, killing myself is way cheaper than that.

And likely more fun.

[Cigol]

...am I playing the right level? I get squished by falling segments only to come to a bit where I have to do something in order to get a button pressed by a red arrow attached to the ceiling. Only, I don't know how to do it. Clearly the platform must be raised, but in what order do the triggers need to be done in?

The falling segmented platform bit is nice in a yoshi's story type of way but the puzzle isn't idiot proof. I was thinking when I first got to it; "booooring trigger grab and pull"... but then I go and get stuck. Of course you mentioned no puzzle in your original post so now I'm even more confused

Either way, after playing it for the first time in a long time last night I'd forgotten how ingenious some LBP creators can be. There are some seriously amazing levels out there whether they are musical, artistic, fun or clever.

[James]

I played this last Tuesday, and have A REPORT INCOMING when eventually I can be bothered to do a thing.

Don't be excited.

[toblix]

Okay, so about the first segment with the falling shit, you just have to wait for each piece to fall down. I intended to have some awesome stuff you had to do in order to trigger the next piece, but the first pieces were too small to do anything inside.

Regarding the arrow and the buttons, this is a puzzle, and in fact I'm moderately proud of this one. I don' know how obvious it is though.

The trick is moving the little boxes back and forth and placing them just right...

This is level has a million examples of this:

1. I get an awesome idea for a concept (for example pieces of a level falling into place as you progress)
   
2. I try implementing the concept and get a working prototype up and running
   
3. I continue building on the thing
   
4. After a while I discover some flaw inherent in my implementation (for example: the pieces no longer fall neatly into place, but rather bump into shit and tumble into some incorrect position)
   
5. I can't be bothered to fix it, so I just try to make it playable despite these flaws (for example placing a jetpack because sometimes a sponge elevator just disappears for some reason)
   

[Cigol]

With the help of that spoiler text I got past the rocket puzzle, which was surprisingly obvious once you knew the solution, ahem, but I quickly gave up once I got to the springy platforming section. Sweet jesus that place is a minefield of chaotic instability. I'm surprised I got that far to be honest, but I did like the beginning bit with the falling down sections :thup:

[toblix]

I quickly gave up once I got to the springy platforming section.

Which one, the one beneath the green mountain, or the one after the boring ice slide?

[Cigol]

It was the one after the boring ice slide with lots of flames. I'm guessing one you couldn't be bothered to fix as the platforms movements are absolutely mental.

...some point bubbles throughout the level would also have been good, but I think a do over retaining the style of the falling compartments is called for

[toblix]

Maybe when I'm through with MGS4 I'll do a Director's Cut which will be the real manifestation of my vision, not the studio's. I had this idea of a branching mechanic where different chambers would fall down depending on some shit. I'll have to build some reliable mechanic for this to be possible.

Also, testing these things is a real bitch, because I have to start from the very start each time. There should be something like unit tests for each chamber or something, I dunno. I know I played through the mental bouncing platforms a couple of times, though, so it's definitely possible, especially with the infinite lives checkpoints I've spread so generously around.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Maybe I'll do a Director's Cut which will be the real manifestation of my vision, not the studio's.

Damn those studios!

[James]

So here's that video I think I mentioned:

RS6LLj2i6rA

YEAH THAT'S RIGHT, THAT'S AS FAR AS IT GOES. I would have been more thorough, but I had to go and play Left 4 Dead with some cretinous losers from the Internet.

[miffy495]

I swear to god I'm going to finish this level. I keep on getting killed by those damn glass blocks. First time the level frustrated me. Up to this point, I've grokked your style and really enjoyed the level, but trying to get up this hill right at the end of the level is just frustrating. That sliding block puzzle was fantastic though. Just as I realized that everything had a specific place, I noticed the really brilliantly hidden-in-plain-sight clue to solve it. Well done. You're really inspiring me to do some level work myself. Maybe finally go back and make that level I drew up plans for for the LBP contest back in the day but never actually built. In short, you are a motherfucking evil genius, 'blix, but this one segment at the end may be a bit too frustrating, even with infinite continues.

[miffy495]

OK, finished. That section at the end made me drop you a star, as by the time I got through it I was convinced that you personally hated each and every person who plays your level. Up to that point it was a 5 star affair though, so you get 4 stars and a heart from me. That bit with all the crazy flaming platforms was pretty ace though. That was what convinced me you were an evil genius. I always felt like I was about to die, but never did. That's about the ideal. Well done, sir. Well done indeed.

[James]

I LIKED THE BIT WHERE A LARGE PART OF THE LEVEL FELL ON MY HEAD. I DID NOT LIKE THE BIT WHERE MY CAR BLEW UP AND I RESPAWNED BEFORE A GATE THAT ONLY OPENED FOR CARS. I INITIALLY LIKED THE BIT WHERE I THOUGHT THE CAR WAS A GOATSE, BUT THE REALIZATION THAT IT WAS NOT WAS A DISAPPOINTMENT.

We should multiplay it sometime.

[miffy495]

Yeah, I paid a bunch of money for a bluetooth headset I have yet to use. It's all Metal Gear branded and stuff. I really need to get in on some PS3 multiplay sometime.

[toblix]

Awesome video review, James (Jacko would be proud)! I appreciate your frustration that your car was smashed to bits when you were CASUALLY ROLLING ALONG what was supposed to be a HIGH SPEED DARING ESCAPE SEQUENCE where your car was supposed to only ALMOST be smashed. Also, kudos for abusing the jet pack. It was only supposed to be used if the sponge elevator didn't appear (for some reason the physics engine makes it go away sometimes), but you just went ahead and bypassed the fun ball section of the level. I guess being killed minutes later SERVES YOU RIGHT.

Also, it's awesome that you actually completed it, Miffy. I'm sure you could tell I really didn't expect anyone to play that far. I'm really impressed, and it shows how much more of a man you are than James, for example.

Also, you've all inspired me to make a new level that doesn't do unfair shit like trapping you inside an ejaculating volcano. It's a soul-crushing experience, to be sure, but if I know at least one person who isn't myself plays it, it'll all be worth it, even if that person is only a virtual internaut.

Oh, and James, the level does have a boss, which you would no doubt have discovered had you been able to play past the opening parts. The boss even chases you up a volcano/mountain thing in what was supposed to be an awesome chase sequence.

[James]

I appreciate your frustration that your car was smashed to bits when you were CASUALLY ROLLING ALONG what was supposed to be a HIGH SPEED DARING ESCAPE SEQUENCE where your car was supposed to only ALMOST be smashed.

Yeah, watching the video it's obvious that I keep grabbing the wrong spongy control, but at the time I was just so damn excited I didn't really know what I was doing. Perhaps you need some Valve-style intensive play-testing.

Also, kudos for abusing the jet pack. It was only supposed to be used if the sponge elevator didn't appear (for some reason the physics engine makes it go away sometimes), but you just went ahead and bypassed the fun ball section of the level.

Yeah, sorry, seeing it there I presumed it was meant to be used. It was worth it for the hilarious comic timing, though. I took off and half a beat later this massive and complex structure comes crashing onto my head with great speed. That's what I thought the "LOLZ" was about. Is that thing meant to tilt like that, by the way?

Incidentally, how awful was my pronunciation of the title, and what does it mean? Google Translate reckons "Hey on a snei". Going by my very limited knowledge of Swedish, which I guess is kind of a little bit similar in parts or something, that makes sense ("hei" is not too far from "hej", and "en" means "one" so I guess that can mean "a" as well), except for the bit where it didn't bother to translate the last word.

Edited June 26, 2009 by JamesM

[James]

LFG HEI PÅ EN SNEI NEED PRIEST

(Not actually now, but, you know, some time)

[toblix]

It just hit me that I made this level for two players, but I've never actually tested it with more than one. There should be a testing feature where you could play as a fat sackboy that weighs as much as two, three or four guys. That way I could make sure all my shit would still work.

[miffy495]

I had someone join me just after the car part while I was playing your level. They rage-quit while we were trying to get up those slopes at the end, but it seemed to work out ok for the most part.

[toblix]

That's awesome. Both that it worked out okay, and that they rage quit.