Bananasauros v1.2 and DX level critique

Discussion and analysis of graphics, story, levels, and so on.
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Ceilick
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Post by Ceilick »

Really like the point item placement in the revised version of this level: plenty of 'freebies' along with more challenging to grab items.

The black outline for the floors looks a lot better, although I wonder how highlighting it if further might look with a secondary black/dark grey outline (or any transitional shade from the black line to the brown texture)for the walkable surfaces.

I'd consider removing the first lava spout: it doesn't really do much and the second appearance of it is more aesthetically pleasing and imko a better way of introducing it to the player.

I'd also consider removing the spout from the narrow passage with the ape creature and two tomatodons: that situation already looks pretty intense with the animating lava, animating spears, and all three enemies.
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VikingBoyBilly
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Post by VikingBoyBilly »

Exhibit A:
Image

Exhibit B:
Image

The cliff edges are getting harder to see...
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XkyRauh
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Post by XkyRauh »

I agree with your comment--based on the picture itself, that is pretty close to incomprehensible. I'm only loosely aware of where the player is supposed to go to navigate this.

On one hand, it's a neat idea to have a "cliff-face ascent" level. On the other, the whole concept hinges pretty heavily on having clearly defined cliff-faces. Think about the final level of Cosmo2, and the ascent-heavy theme of that level--very clearly defined cliffs and climbs. :)

I like the way you worked the peeks and streaks of sky into the level--good use of blue to keep things interesting. Now fix those cliffs! Haha
Kdash
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Post by Kdash »

How about adding a thin layer of grass or moss to the cliff tiles, to make the ledges stand out a bit more?

Also, the stone tiles looks too blocky when they're all grouped up like that. How about some larger (2x1, 2x2) stones to break up the monotony a bit?
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VikingBoyBilly
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Post by VikingBoyBilly »

Only one screen this time. The changes are so minimal it's not worth the bother.

Image
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XkyRauh
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Post by XkyRauh »

First of all, I really like that you have multiple cloud tiles to work with. Nice job. :)

Second, I like the way you've emphasized the sky-based gameplay here. The stalks standing up out of the bottomless ether of the level are nice. But I'd like to see the bottom of the level defined a bit more--either by a tile that is the blue-sky-fading-to-black (to help designate that "hey, you'll die down here") or by the addition of an actual "ground route" that you can't complete the level through.

That is to say, if you were to add a shelf of desert at the very bottom--in an extension of the map--but make the final cliff on the right where the exit is too high for the player to navigate, that could reduce the penalty for falling (replay the area, rather than lose a life).

There are no cliff foreground tiles in this one, so there's not a lot to complain about. ;) You still need to fix those!!
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VikingBoyBilly
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Post by VikingBoyBilly »

So.. aww man. To do what you're asking, I'll have to extend the vertical length of the level a LOT lower to make that last cliff absolutely unclimbable, and add a little more room to the left to make a staircase back up. Maybe mindbelt won't allow that many tiles, but I'll try it. But I might still add some hazards to the bottom, like making it a pit of enemies >=)
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XkyRauh
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Post by XkyRauh »

Keen can pogo 6 tiles high by default. You'd have to make the cliff only 7 tiles tall to prevent a player from shortcutting the level--which means you only have to extend the level seven tiles downward.

From there, just fill in the bases of the stalks, add a small hill in the middle-ish area, and then a step or two headed up to the left. :) It'd take all of five minutes, right?

Or you could ignore my suggestion, leave the level as-is, and move on. ;) Haha!
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VikingBoyBilly
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Post by VikingBoyBilly »

Exhibit A:
Image

Exhibit B:
Image

I havent made any more rock tiles yet but I have someone working on making tiles.
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