Level List and Quest Structure

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CommanderSpleen
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Level List and Quest Structure

Post by CommanderSpleen »

This is the way the game flows so far. Levels are as seen in lemm's map.

Code: Select all

01 Slug Outpost
02 Slug Village
03 Stream
04 Slug Crossing

05 Lick Moat
06 Lick Waterwheel
07 Waterfall
08 Lick Castle
09 Lick Crossing

10 Rock Beach
11 Ford

12 Tropical Resort

13 Misty Woods
14 Forest Path
15 Tree Town
16 Dark Woods

17 Archaeological Site [Mayan]
18 Archaeological Site [Egyptian]
19 Archaeological Site [Tech]
20 Archaeological Camp

21 Swamp
22 Swamp 2
23 Lake
24 Meadow

25 Foothill
26 Boothill
27 Geyser
28 Rainbow

29 Algal Pool
30 Canyon
31 Mineshaft

32 BWB

Code: Select all

+ provides via in-level trigger
- removes via in-level trigger
> requires for entry
! prevents entry (overrides >)

04 Slug Crossing
 + PEPPER
 > PEPPER_PRANK_DONE
 ! BAD_COLA_PRANK_DONE

09 Lick Crossing
 + BAD_COLA
 > BAD_COLA_PRANK_DONE
 ! PEPPER_PRANK_DONE

01 SLUG OUTPOST
 > BAD_COLA (inferred access item)
 ! BAD_COLA_PRANK_DONE

02 Slug Village
 + BAD_COLA_PRANK_DONE
 - COLA
 - PEPPER (maybe; not necessary, but tidier)
 ! PEPPER_PRANK_DONE

05 Lick Moat
 > PEPPER (inferred access item)
 ! PEPPER_PRANK_DONE

08 Lick Castle
 + PEPPER_PRANK_DONE
 - PEPPER
 - COLA (maybe; not necessary, but tidier)
 - BAD_COLA_PRANK_DONE

16 Dark Woods
 + GOGGLES

19 Arch Tech
 + FIREFLY

14 Forest Path
 > FIREFLY

30 Canyon
 > GOGGLES
This makes for a pretty well balanced flow, I think. But it does leave a fair few completely optional and free-floating levels. The secret level gleeb-collection quest will make up for this, but
<_mr_spelln_> It would be nice to give the swamp area a purpose, though.
<_mr_spelln_> Besides gleebs.
<_mr_spelln_> One of those swamps could possibly serve that purpose of separating the two sections...
<_mr_spelln_> Makes more sense as a blocking level than the misty woods.
The misty woods or plains were originally considered as quest-blocking levels to make things that little bit more interesting. You would have to go to search the levels in the half of the map you ended up after crossing the river in order to access the other side. So the game would be slightly different depending on which path you chose.

The ideas we came up with were overly complex, and the map hadn't been properly consolidated. Now that it has, it could be a simple process to choose one level on either side of that lake in which the required item could be found. It would obviously be found twice if you entered both levels, but this wouldn't be too big a deal.

I would propose the geyser for the right hand side. But on the left, things are already somewhat cluttered. If it was put in Tree Town, that makes three items in the top-left corner and tips the balance. Putting it in the second swamp or in the lake could work, but might be too straightforward.

I'm inclined just to shift the swamp around a bit and make one a standard blocking level to simplify things, but it would be quite an interesting detail if the double-ended quest concept can be made to slot neatly into thegame.
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Deltamatic
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Post by Deltamatic »

Not sure what you're proposing. Are you saying the geyser could hold the gleeb?
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CommanderSpleen
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Post by CommanderSpleen »

No. The gleebs are in all (at least most) levels and grant access to a transport device at the beach when they have all been collected.

As it stands, the quest list above can be used as-is. What I'm suggesting is a blocking level where the lake is. It could be the lake, or a swamp. This is mostly just because I think the amount of completely optional levels is a bit too high.

On top of that idea, I'm suggesting this level could require an item to enable passage, just as the firefly grants access to the forest area.

Because you end up on a different side of the lake depending on whether you choose to help the slugs or licks, the item that allows you to pass would need to be available in a level on both sides. For example, the Geyser and the Tree Town.

The result is that you would need to tackle the levels in a different order depending on whether you complete the slug or lick prank quests.
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Deltamatic
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Post by Deltamatic »

Ah, now I see.
Would the item needed to pass the central blocking level be on both sides of the blocking level? If the player chose the slug path he could cross the blocking level with the goggles.
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Post by CommanderSpleen »

Would the item needed to pass the central blocking level be on both sides of the blocking level?
Exactly.

I don't know about having two levels requiring the goggles. Especially when taking the slug path results in the second level's quest being made irrelevant (you'd have to pass the swamp to get to the canyon).

What has just occurred to me, though... is that you may not even encounter the information that the canyon is an obstacle at all, if you get the goggles before going there. But this might not be that big a deal...

Making a swamp blocking is the most straightforward idea. It could perhaps block access to the second swamp and the lake. Even though none of those levels actually have any bearing on the plot.

Maybe I'm making too big a deal out of having so many optional levels. I shall nonthink about this.
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Deltamatic
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Post by Deltamatic »

If it's possible to code, the item might be repellent for a type of enemy which is impossibly lethal in the blocking swamp level until you get the repellent.
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Post by CommanderSpleen »

I like it!
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