NUMA

Painful

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Author robonic007
Tags action author:robonic007 fun hard playable rated
Created 2008-09-26
Last Modified 2008-09-26
Rating
3
by 9 people.
Map Data

Description A medium/hard map, ive tested for about 30 minutes :)

Other maps by this author

Thumbnail of the map 'Planet hopper' Thumbnail of the map 'Under Fire'
Planet hopper Under Fire

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back :)

sorry i was gone so long, ive been playing spore, i will continue making maps now :)
Let me know. I wanna see!
O, and take yungerkid his advice as mostly good advice.
He trained me. :) And, if he sticks to helping you.
Expect a lot of discussion about artistic gold placement, just that you know haha.

Thanks evreybody

Man, i was just playing spore for a couple weeks lol! I would like you to know that i greatly enjoy your feedback and will try as hard as i can!

Getting better

But this is still a thumbs down for me. Overall, it was too quiet, and I didn't like the gold placement or the use of drones. By quiet I just mean that there wasn't enough happening to make it interesting - the rockets were pretty easy to dodge, and the rest is simple rooms and corridors. The drone in the bottom left is pretty pointless, the last drone is kind of annoying, and the gold above the shaft needs to be more accessible given the situation, IMO.

AGD-1:
Demo Data

well....

i think you're somewhat misunderstanding me. i agree with your last sentence; that is what i was trying to convey myself. but i think that portions of maps can be...more primal...and still be quite fun. gah, just ignore me i guess.

I disagree

Some of the best maps involve multiple, optional paths that are flowy and fun. Making an underdeveloped portion of a map will just make people think, "hey, this is underdeveloped. It'd be great if it wasn't." I think the notion of being able to choose many paths and have them all be fun but different in their own way is what really gets people liking non-linear maps.

oops

3

ehh

It was OK

the aesthetics need lots of work though.

one more thing.

(getting tired yet?) have you ever played half-life (1 or 2)? in that game, small (and optional) puzzles are scattered throughout the game. there are multiple ways of getting through a level. similarly, in your maps, you might want to include small (and optional) puzzles for the player to get around. Arona_Daal sort of does this with his more recent maps; he includes optional climber challenges to get gold. also, consider (depending on the atmosphere of the map) having multiple ways to get through the level. make the player think of how he (/she) will get through the map alive. it will give them a feeling of freedom that they will enjoy. it will also increase their satisfaction at having completed the level. also make the alternate paths seem more...rough, and more undeveloped. make the player feel like they are off the beaten path, forging their own way through the level.

just a suggestion.
i would like to say one more thing about atmosphere. all good maps have some sort of atmosphere. it is inescapable. get the player to feel what you are feeling in the map. express emotion through the gameplay. it is difficult, and requires innovation, but it must be there. a map will feel very hollow and will be thoroughly unenjoyable, if it does not have a clear atmosphere. unless of course the atmosphere is a muddled feel, in which case....
but that will work for actions as well. find a favourite author. play through all of his (/her) maps, and study the way he (/she) cultivates atmosphere and enjoyment through the use and placement of tiles and objects. then begin making maps that fit their style as closely as possible. i would recommend starting each level with the tileset. once you are able to consistently and effectively emulate their style, begin to twist and tweak it a bit. personalize the style, until it becomes completely your own. do this gradually, however. you will then be able to consistently make unique maps in your own unique style.
about the artistic gold placement. the gold does not necessarily need to be in ordered formations; it can represent a more abstract theme. but there needs to be a strong aesthetic component. more on this later, probably.

Wow rule

That's quite the advice.

3

Not too hard

but it was a fun map

3/5

rocket parts and the homing drone were great, the normal drone wasn't a threat at all

hmm...

needs a little refinement. i believe the last door was not necessary. it needed more challenge, and more atmosphere. the tileset could be improved too. gold placement was fairly nice. you do have potential though. 3.5/5 rounded up.

I might add

That alternating drones turn right the first time they hit a non-empty tile, left the second time and so on.

And that quasi random drones also take a specific path (although it seems random).

As for the map, not bad... You have potential! And I like the fact that it is fairly simple.

What rule said about the gold also applies to the tiles. Choose a combination of tiles to use throughout the level and unless you have a good reason to do so, stick to it. Also try to add more optional gold so that better players (not necessarily me) can get extra challenges, while beginning players (not necessarily me) can beat the level and then, get more of the gold as they get better (of course, the level needs to be fun for that to work). While I'm on the subject, gold adds 2 seconds to your life, so I'm not sure the two pieces in the first room are really worth getting.

And remember! once you are familiar with the "rules", break them. And thus, your style will begin to emerge.

(please note that I haven't yet tried all of those things myself;)
Demo Data
But I just wanted to let you know that my most awesome map so far is done. You gotta see.

thanks

thanks for the awsome words dude! i promise i will... after i play spore for a day, lol :)

Wow

Not the best map around but its good for your third ... i see improvment. Keep at it i beleive if u stick at it like riobe and Atob and all them other top mappers u can become one to

Spore rocks!

Take all the time you need. I wish I had it.... You mean bastard, haha. Enjoy!

thanks

Thanks dude, im sorry but im gonna take a break for a few days because i got spore :D i promise i will come back!

:)

It was not supposed to be that long actually, it just went long. :D.
Make a map! I wanna see! O, I just loved loved loved loved that antenna zap drone. If you were not fast enough you were dead. Cool!

Wow

That was a lot more in depth than i expected, and i have to say THANK YOU!!!! I totally understand drones now, thanks a million :)
p.s. sorry i didnt post a crazy long response back :(
But that could not fit the last post. LOL.
With, so he is at the bottom I meant, at the bottom of the code. I was not really clear. :)

Just take the drone code (in this instance, laser): 6^420,228,4,0,1,2

And remove the last digit and replace it with the letters 'NaN', like so:
6^420,228,4,0,1,NaN

I also forgot a important part. After you have done this. You must click outside of the code box.
And reload the level with L. And the drone will stop moving.
Not so good with drones but I can explain a lot. :D

First of all, and you already know this, is that every drone moves with a different speed.
Zap drones are pretty fast, then chain gun drones move slower. And the laser
dronnes are the slowest. Keep this in mind when you are trying to place drones
tactically. Like when you can justmake it past them when you are fast enough.

Now to explain the basics of drone patterns. You have these two ways, quasi random and alternative. I don't know what they do exactly but use this if the do not need to take a particular path.

Now, cw means clock-wise. And ccw means counter-clock-wise. Notice the arrows with and against the clock.
Dumb is that they are just going around in circles and surface follow is that he follows the tiles in a certain way. My Ned. is weird and does that exactly the other way. So if dumb does not circle in your Ned. Try the surface follow.

Now for I think the final step. Code-editing. When you place a drone. It moves. It should do. You can change this in two ways.
Placing four doors around it. Which is not recommended because some people do not like that.
And code-editing. When you place a zap drone, you get a code. Make sure the zap drone is placed last so he is at the bottom.
Then take the last number behind the last , And change it to NaN.
Which stands for Not a Number. And it will stop moving.

thanks!

thanks for helping me out with learning the basics of NED, your really helpful! Can i just ask, they dont explain placing drones very well in the manual, and i dont understand what "dumb ccw" and that stuff means. just wondering :)
Well, first of all I very very like it. And this is your third map! Wow! Now for the advice:

Well, I can start of with using professional advice but you do not want that.
I'll still do. The gold is not artistically placed. Like put them in squares or circles.
Again you do not need the bounceblocks but they are ok.
Look at the exit and the locked doors. When the exit opens up. It gets wider. So the last door will not block it anymore. But that is not a big mistake. It is more logical. A 3. Keep going. You will be very good!

Fingers Crossed

Hoping this map gets well recived, remember to give me a few suggestions please :)