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Message: 5933

Author: Alexandra

Date: 13/10/2006

Subject: Re: Death TV v0.3... Andrew's second playtest

 

> > I therefore intend to teleport to "Machine World" [33] - the room
> > you actually start off in v0.3... for my second playtest -
> > or should I remove the Fire-cells from the top of [50] so that
> > I actually /can/ go down, like you can in the DTV2 taster of
> > 13th May 2005?
>
> With SPECSAISIE not yet being powerful enough to edit cells in saved-
> position snapshots - because they're in 128K memory-banks -
> I simply teleported to the room below [50] using POKE 33824,73. That
> room has a guardian which collides with an Earth-column, killing
> you, so I then I teleported to the room below that using POKE
> 33824,74.
>
> Even without the cells at the top of [50], that room would still be
> problematic because you can only take two of the three items as you
> fall down through the one-way exit. More of that erosive force
> mentioned in Message 5754 is needed here!

That's the edge of the game world as defined so far.

> [52] "water world": The design-pattern for collecting the top-left
> item made me think for a few seconds that it was uncollectable, then
> I realised the cleverness:
> |VV|||||||||
> |V.........|
> |.........$|
> |...>>>>>|||
> ||..........
> ||..........
> ||-----..--.
> The bottom-left item does appear to be uncollectable, as left is a
> one-way exit to "Egypt World" [86], although I don't yet have
> SPECSAISIE RoomReachJSW64 to prove that it is uncollectable.

More open ends for me to tie up :)

> [53] "water world": The chimney of Water-cells on the left of this
> and the four rooms above is a very tedious method of ascent. Non-
> swinging ropes or fast vertical lifts would be much better.

It may be tedious but somehow I like it anyway. And it gives you time
to contemplate your descent to the right (and absorb the atmosphere of
the rooms - you don't get a chance to do that so much when you're in
the main body of the rooms)

> [72] "attack of the moody cubes!": You have to sacrifice a life to
> collect the item; even with your back to the Earth-column, you
> overjump the gap; you also cannot leave enough Crumbly to walk off
> and fall into the gap.

You're right. I better change it.

> [76] "water world": It's fascinating to see the new challenges that
> can be created with Trampolines - here you have to jump around until
> the timing's right for avoiding a diagonal guardian.

I had forgotten about this room. I'm not sure where it's supposed to
fit on the map. Yeah, trampolines are great fun and have lots of
potential!

> In contrast to the linear water world, this world has a much more
> branching geography, which is a bit frustrating as I'm always
> thinking "when am I going to get back here so I can go the other
> way?", but I tied up the set of reachable rooms nicely in the end
> without too much repetition beyond the initial exploration (i.e.
> save a snapshot, run through a few rooms in each direction, then
> reload and select one direction to play seriously).

I like the idea of having to explore and map (mentally or otherwise)
the locations before you make a serious attempt at completing it.

> [1] "Miner World": An attractive room visually (like the others in
> Miner World - a real 'house-style' in graphical terms), but I don't
> like how at first glance it looks possible to exit this room to the
> right, adding unnecessarily to the apparent branching-factor.

I adore that effect, plus it's a nod to Monty Mole which had those
tiny little tunnels that connected together across screen boundaries
but you were too big to travel down.

> [3] "Miner World": The pokey things that keep appearing and
> disappearing so that you have to walk through them quickly are a
> feature we should see a lot more of in MM/JSW.

There are more possibilities for speed/timing of these kinds of
hazards now that we have different speeds of HG.

> [5] "Miner World": A deceptive (in a good way) room in that it looks
> possible to descend directly down the left, but it isn't. And all
> this running water adds to the atmosphere if not the gameplay.

If only there were a way to create animating characters like in the
Monty games ;)

> [7] "Miner World": A wonderfully atmospheric room with neat bright
> blue bricks embedded in smashed-up dull blue ones. It almost has the
> atmosphere of an abandoned railway-tunnel with the spooky white
> wheel.

This is one of my favourite rooms from Miner World.

> [9] "Miner World": Not everyone will be thorough enough to spot the
> dual column of Crumbly cells at the bottom-right, although the cell-
> graphic is slightly different from Earth 3. I must admit I went
> there expecting to explore the nook to the left of the lower bird
> (which is unreachable anyway) and turn away disappointed.
> Maybe it would be a good idea to have an item to entice the
> player onto the Crumbly cells, although a thoughtful player should
> realise that there may be a hidden incentive to explore that bottom-
> right corner.

It's a strong possibility, but I like the idea of leaving it as it is.
Someone who has explored all of Miner World but still hasn't got the
item on the bottom left of this room will surely be tempted to explore
this tunnel as a last resort.

Maybe I should change one more pixel on the pattern of the crumbly-cells.

> [11] "Miner World": I have reached this room only by going right
> from [0]. It looks like there's an exit at the top-right, but it's
> blocked by an invisible Earth-column - I take it this is supposed to
> be the entrance to Miner World? A wonderful hilly atmosphere.

Yeah. I'm not sure about the invisible wall but it can't hurt, I guess.

> This isn't the best place for leaving Miner World anyway, since
> you have to go up from this room first (to collect all the items) -
> a detour of 14 room-exits to get back here (if you didn't already
> take the items in [15] and [16], in which case you have to take a
> one-way exit from [14]), mainly through done-and-dusted rooms.

Excellent point. I'll almost surely change the location of the exit
from this World.

> [21] "Miner World": You'd have to have an incredibly short memory to
> actually fall for it, but falling down on the left of this room
> leads to infinite death below.

I call it the 'Darwin Drop' :)

> [22] "Miner World": I love the way you can jump right over the fast
> HG when it too is going right, and I like the skull-sprite that you
> ripped from JSW3. ;-)

And to think I gave that game a horrible review all those years ago. I
felt a bit bad about that...

Well, I've exhausted all your comments. Thanks once again, Andrew, for
playtesting and giving such detailed comments. It's enthusiasm such as
yours which will eventually spur me on to finish this project!

Sendy

 

 

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