My first level ready soon (maybe) [Archive] - JazzJackrabbit Community Forums

Flamepanther

Nov 25, 2003, 08:41 PM

You guys may not remember, but I started posting here in the JCS forum almost exactly a year ago. Stuff happened happened, and I haven't been able to come back until now. Yay me! :+

Anyway, when I first finished the single player game in Jazz 2 back in '98, I wanted to make a nice little level pack. I went to college, and that became mostly impossible due to time. Now that I'm all done with all that, I've had a little more time to do what I want, and after working on it off and on for about four years, I just now finished laying out the terrain for my first level. With any luck, I'll have some enemies and pickup items populating it soon, and I'll be ready for anyone to try it out. However, even with school out of the way, I've still got to deal with moving to another state and planning my upcoming marriage, so I may be forced to take another (much shorter) break before that happens. I don't know. Anyway, I'll be here looking for players and comments at some point in the relatively near future, so I thought I should introduce myself again.

Oh, and please don't expect four years worth of actual work once I've got it ready. I worked on it maybe twice a year for a couple weeks at a time since starting college. ;)

mikeejimbo

Nov 26, 2003, 04:46 AM

Kudos for you! I don't know why, I just wanted to use that word...

Well, let's see. I will be sure to download it, because I too have been working on a level pack for a long time (5 years though) and it doesn't have that much actual work on it.

So, I will be sure to not criticize you as harshly as some people do...

Flamepanther

Nov 28, 2003, 08:18 PM

Well I'm glad to hear someone's in a similar situation. :)
I'd be glad to try your levels too!

I've got the level even closer to completion now, with just a few minor adjustments to item and enemy placement, and one pinball sequence left to go. I'll warn anybody who bothers to read this, my design style (which reflects my playing style) is far from heavy on puzzles, which seem to be popular with other designers. Just so everyone knows, this is a preference not a "flaw". ;)

Disguise

Nov 29, 2003, 04:34 AM

Honestly now, there's nothing wrong with criticism. I live on criticism, I strive on criticism, it's what makes you better. THE MORE THE MERRIER!

Seriously, everyone has flaws and make mistakes and the only people that can spot them are other people. This might sound weird, but critics are actually helping you ;)

Radium

Nov 29, 2003, 07:50 AM

Honestly now, there's nothing wrong with criticism. I live on criticism, I strive on criticism, it's what makes you better. THE MORE THE MERRIER!
Seriously, everyone has flaws and make mistakes and the only people that can spot them are other people. This might sound weird, but critics are actually helping you ;)
The Tea of Wisdom should moderate the Art Forum. Really, at times they need someone to say that.

Coppertop

Nov 29, 2003, 09:54 AM

My philosophy exactly, Wisety. Why is it no one I know IRL shares it?

Flamepanther

Nov 29, 2003, 01:06 PM

Believe me, I'll be glad to hear what I can do to make my levels better in the future. I may or may not take some of that advice... :-)

Oh, I'll be constructiong my own tilesets for all of my levels too. Should I post those separately, even if they're only designed for the one level and not for general use?

Violet CLM

Nov 29, 2003, 01:16 PM

Depends on how good you think they are. (And there's always the "Multiple" upload type...)

KRSplat

Nov 29, 2003, 01:24 PM

But "multiple" means that you have to review them together, which is :(

EDIT: Clarification.

Flamepanther

Nov 29, 2003, 01:28 PM

Well the tileset works really well for my level, but the animations are a huge pain to set up, the layout is not entirely intuitive, and a good deal of the graphics are borrowed, though modified, from other sources (including two of the sets that come with JJ2). I think the overall effect I've set up is new though, and some of the tiles are completely original. Does that affect its worth by a lot?

Violet CLM

Nov 29, 2003, 02:35 PM

Screenie :D

Flamepanther

Nov 29, 2003, 06:24 PM

Screenie :D
Of the tileset in use during the game? I'll see what I can do. I don't have any web space right now...

Radium

Nov 29, 2003, 06:27 PM

I'll host a pic if you email it to a@foxmage.com.

Lark

Nov 29, 2003, 06:27 PM

If that's not what he wants, I wanted to see one.

Flamepanther

Nov 29, 2003, 06:39 PM

I'll host a pic if you email it to a@foxmage.com.Thanks Radium! I'll work on that right now. I still need to find my own space in the near future though. I'm looking around :)

Flamepanther

Nov 29, 2003, 07:20 PM

I've sent some screenshots to Radium just now.

Flamepanther

Nov 29, 2003, 08:20 PM

http://www.foxmage.com/flamep/IF1.jpg
Indoor/outdoor with animated falling hazards

http://www.foxmage.com/flamep/IF2.jpg
Hanging platforms, leaping fireball hazard, and a good view of the 3D eye candy

http://www.foxmage.com/flamep/IF3.jpg
Stolen skeleton ramps. Yes, there's an error in the stone ground, and I've already fixed it.

http://www.foxmage.com/flamep/IF4.jpg
More stolen goods.

The brown stone slabs are obviously from the castle tile set. The bones are all from the second heck stage. The red stone walls are stolen from early in Blaster Master 2 on the Sega Genesis/Megadrive. I modified them to have an end instead of repeating until something covers them up. The animated hazards are both modified from Mega Man X4 on the Sony Playstation. The small dragon in the distance was taken from the intro sequence to Crystalis on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The grey slabs are modified from the brown stones used in the castle. The Sea of Flames graphics (2D foreground, 2D background, wandering columns, and 3D background) are all original from scratch, as are the flying cinders. The hanging stone cone platforms are mine mostly from scratch.

You can't tell it very well fromt he pictures, but the colums of flame wander across the screen in different directions and speeds, the 2D lava/fire rushes at two different speeds (foreground vs background), and the cinders fly a wavy pattern in three different directions at different speeds. The dragon flies across the screen periodically.

The background works in 8-bit color, though not as pretty. Low detail mode works, but causes the river of fire to stop animating. Turning off the 3D background is a huge graphical problem unless you also switch to low detail. I knew about these problems in advance, but I thought the effect was worth it. Hopefully, no one has to play this in those modes.

The palette is set up to work properly with pinball objects, snow (why??), etc.

Violet CLM

Nov 29, 2003, 08:46 PM

Well, it looks nice, but if it's that ripped you should probably upload it just as a level.

Flamepanther

Nov 29, 2003, 08:58 PM

Well, it looks nice, but if it's that ripped you should probably upload it just as a level.That's why I asked. Future sets will be more original, but I needed this to jumpstart me.

Strato

Nov 29, 2003, 09:12 PM

Nice.

Another Jazz 2 fan

Nov 29, 2003, 09:14 PM

Cool looking pack.

My pack (Devan's Secret Weapon) is being made exactly the same way. Pretty much I'll work on it about a week every few months. Kinda sad, really.

I hope I'll finish it. Hopefully there will still be Jazz 2 players to play it by then! lol

Look forward to it

~AJ2f

Flamepanther

Nov 29, 2003, 09:52 PM

Thanks for the comments. :)

For this pack, I don't have a story concept. Instead, I'm playing with aesthetic continuity. Each level will have its own tile set, but they will be set up so that the stages fit together almost seamlessly... at least that's the idea right now.

Oh, and I'm looking forward to your pack, AJ2F. I enjoyed Ocean of Acid quite a bit!

Risp_old

Nov 30, 2003, 05:22 AM

Wow... Even though it's ripped, for the most part it's amazing looking. I like those lava colums in the background. Original effect. Except the meteor things look wierd, though you would have no control over that.

MoonBlazE

Nov 30, 2003, 06:13 AM

That tileset would look so much better if half of it weren't ripped. Draw your own castle, it's not that hard.

Flamepanther

Nov 30, 2003, 10:48 AM

That tileset would look so much better if half of it weren't ripped. Draw your own castle, it's not that hard.Well ripping making it look bad is a mental thing. It happens only when you recognize what was ripped (or because I told you), unless the graphics were just plain ripped poorly. I may (or may not) replace the stone tiles later (it's not a castle anymore), since that's the most obvious and the easiest to replace. For now though, it works and I needed something there to build the level out of. The other stuff is staying.

Fawriel

Nov 30, 2003, 11:12 AM

Wow...
What Moonblaze said...
Those fire-tiles look like you're darn good enough to draw the others yourself.. this looks AMAZING! O_O

Flamepanther

Nov 30, 2003, 11:59 AM

Wow...
What Moonblaze said...
Those fire-tiles look like you're darn good enough to draw the others yourself.. this looks AMAZING! O_OThanks! Although if you're talking about the leaping arc of flame seen in screenshot 2, I didn't draw that. All of the stuff in the 3D background is mine though (sans the tiny dragon). The fiery stuff in the foreground and immediate background at the bottom of shots 2 and 4 is mine too, aside from the aforementioned arc.

mikeejimbo

Nov 30, 2003, 12:37 PM

Wow. That looks really good... I am awed.

Needless to say, I can't wait for it.

Unlike your pack, however, my pack is heavily story-driven, and yet at the same time, not as confusing as other story driven packs. You could almost ignore the plot and storm through the level, guns-a-blazin'.

Stijn

Dec 2, 2003, 05:58 AM

If it is uploaded as a level, I will not include the origin of the tiles in my rating at all, so that wouldn't be a problem ;). What is shown on that screens looks quite cool, altough I wonder if you wouldn't get stuck in the fireballs when you touch them and have more than one heart (that is assuming they hurt).

Flamepanther

Dec 2, 2003, 08:40 AM

I've tested the animated hazards fairly thoroughly. They're not perfect, but they really can't be. If you hit either one from the left, right, o above, the damage knocks you away from it. If they hit while you are standing, running, or in the air, they pass quickly enough that you don't really get stuck, although you can sorta "climb" the falling rocks a bit before getting thrown out. Accidental climbing isn't unusual, but players are almost never stuck longer than the invincibility period after the initial damage.

The only way to really get stuck is to be standing on the ground, and then jump right as they hit, so that you sink into the ground. The window for this to happen is very small, so you'd almost have to do it on purpose. None of my four play-testers have ever had this happen to them, and they haven't been told about it, so they weren't intentionally trying not to get stuck. I myself have had it happen very rarely, and only once was it not deliberate. Since the problem almost never shows itself and the effect is really cool, I think this is an acceptable flaw. :7 It isn't really much buggier than a lot of the things included by the original developers.

Good observation though.

Flamepanther

Dec 2, 2003, 08:57 AM

UPDATE

I am currently drawing new tiles to replace the ones from the Castle. The new tiles work well, but they're nothing too elaborate. I like the set with and without the Castle graphics, but they both look very different. If Radium will host them, I will put up some comparison shots once I have the new tiles ready, and we can see what people like better.

Also, I'll be looking for people to test the level very soon, before I upload it. I didn't know until just recently about the layer 5 vs layer 8 problem. I've got layers 5 and 8 going in opposite directions and at different speeds, and I've never run into the problem of a jittery background. I need to see what results other people have.

Boss Jazz

Dec 2, 2003, 10:54 AM

That tileset really reminds mesa of Chelonia IV from Jazz Jackrabit Advance.

Flamepanther

Dec 2, 2003, 01:40 PM

That tileset really reminds mesa of Chelonia IV from Jazz Jackrabit Advance.Really? I haven't been that far in the game. Oh well, it's not like that matters too much.

Radium

Dec 2, 2003, 02:50 PM

Rad will host.

mikeejimbo

Dec 2, 2003, 05:57 PM

Can I test it?

:D Please?

Flamepanther

Dec 2, 2003, 07:18 PM

Rad: Thank you!

Mike: As soon as it's ready to be tested, there's a copy with your name on it. :)

acid

Dec 2, 2003, 08:29 PM

This calls for a very big O_O.

O_O.

That is one sweet looking set, I can't wait to see what the final product will be like! :D

Flamepanther

Dec 2, 2003, 08:52 PM

This calls for a very big O_O.

O_O.

That is one sweet looking set, I can't wait to see what the final product will be like! :D
Flattery is appreciated but not necessary. You just made my day right there.

HOWEVER, it remains to be seen whether the players find the level itself as good as the eye candy. I'm afraid you'll have quite a wait for a full pack of levels too.

That reminds me though... since this will probably take quite awhile, I was wondering what people would think if I uploaded the set in chunks... say four levels at a time, maybe. You'd download an add-on to whatever levels I've put out first, and overwrite any files that have been updated - for instance the last level in each previous pack, so that it goes on to the first level of the next set. Would people be okay with this more than a demo upload and then a long wait until the set is done? Has this been done before?

Radium

Dec 3, 2003, 02:39 AM

I don't think demos are allowed in the downloads section. There was too much:
"Ubermegarace DEMO!!
Ubermegarace
Ubermegarace addon!
Ubermegarace special!
Ubermegarace 2"

Stijn

Dec 3, 2003, 04:16 AM

*will test plzthx*

Oh and BTW, you could make the pack auto-update by making a HTML file that checks for updates everytime it's opened, and automatically starts downloading when it find a page updated. It may be a little complex, but it works, as long as the user has internet access.

Flamepanther

Dec 3, 2003, 06:13 AM

I don't think demos are allowed in the downloads section. There was too much:
"Ubermegarace DEMO!!
Ubermegarace
Ubermegarace addon!
Ubermegarace special!
Ubermegarace 2"Yeah, I can see the reasoning behind that. Unfortunately, that means it may be a LONG time before I can upload this. :(

Originally posted by Fl@$h
*will test plzthx*

Oh and BTW, you could make the pack auto-update by making a HTML file that checks for updates everytime it's opened, and automatically starts downloading when it find a page updated. It may be a little complex, but it works, as long as the user has internet access.Just making levels, and custom tiles for each individual level is enough work for me right now. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Oh, and yes, you're quite welcome to test once I've got it ready for that. It'll be just a little longer than I thought because of the new tiles I'm adding. They're mostly done, but its going to take some work to make them look a bit better in the stage.

As soon as that's done, I'll make some screenshots to get some input from you guys, and get to work on the pinball segment of the level. The pinball will take some time to make sure it's challenging but not too frustrating.

Enemies and item placement are about 95% done.

Stijn

Dec 3, 2003, 06:21 AM

I meant that with teh HTML as an uhm... helpful remark ;) for your idea to upload the pack in parts, which will not be appreciated by the admins, I am afraid, so this might be a good replacement. just a thought *shrugs*

Another Jazz 2 fan

Dec 16, 2003, 04:21 PM

The only way to really get stuck is to be standing on the ground, and then jump right as they hit, so that you sink into the ground. The window for this to happen is very small, so you'd almost have to do it on purpose.

This is easy to prevent, however. Just put one-way on the floor tiles, and you will not sink into them. (The same can be done with Psych animated spikes)

Hope that helps.

Flamepanther

Dec 23, 2003, 08:48 PM

This is easy to prevent, however. Just put one-way on the floor tiles, and you will not sink into them. (The same can be done with Psych animated spikes)

Hope that helps.
Didn't know that
*goes to fix*

Thanks!

Flamepanther

Dec 26, 2003, 04:35 PM

Update: I have only some minor enemy placement issues to correct, and the level will be ready for testing. I promised screenshots, so I'll try to get those taken tomorrow.

NOKA

Dec 28, 2003, 04:35 AM

Update: I have only some minor enemy placement issues to correct, and the level will be ready for testing. I promised screenshots, so I'll try to get those taken tomorrow.
When you will upload your level pack on j2o -I can't wait to play it -this stuff looks gooooood.

Flamepanther

Dec 29, 2003, 03:05 PM

For your amusement:

http://www.foxmage.com/flamep/IF3.jpghttp://www.foxmage.com/flamep/if3b.jpg

http://www.foxmage.com/flamep/IF4.jpghttp://www.foxmage.com/flamep/if4b.jpg

Sorry for the delay. Bad case of the flu took all the energy right out of me. :r

When you will upload your level pack on j2o -I can't wait to play it -this stuff looks gooooood.Unless I can strike some kind fo deal with the powers that be here, it will be a long, long time, becuase this is the beginning of what I hope will be a very large level pack. If you'd like to play sooner, you can help test it for me :)

Risp_old

Dec 29, 2003, 03:12 PM

That scenery looks... bland. At least it isn't a gradient.

Flamepanther

Dec 29, 2003, 03:54 PM

No, the new tiles don't look as good here as they do in action. You can't tell too well from here, but I've used them to create a pseudo-3D look. People that have been testing it for me in person say it has a sort of Sonic-esque feel to it. Anyway, the idea was for the new tiles to make the level feel 3D and textured as a whole through the way the tiles are arranged in the level. With the old castle tiles, each tile had a lot of depth and texture, but the level looked flat no matter how I arranged them.

blurredd

Dec 29, 2003, 04:02 PM

I doubt it will look a whole lot better in action, but do what you want.

Risp_old

Dec 29, 2003, 06:00 PM

It might look a bit better if everything was that style, but...

Flamepanther

Dec 29, 2003, 06:58 PM

Can I assume that the worst part is that big flat orange spot in the bottom right screenshot (below and to the left of where Jazz is standing)?

Risp_old

Dec 29, 2003, 07:07 PM

That and the bridge in the same screenshot.

Flamepanther

Dec 29, 2003, 07:29 PM

I can't do much about the latter, but the former has been fixed up a little. I'll keep an eye out for any more blank spots I've overlooked.

Tangerïne

Dec 30, 2003, 02:15 AM

Flamepanther

Dec 30, 2003, 01:47 PM

Yeah, the big orange spot just looks bland compared to the rest of the tileset. Add some shading, at least. The other thing is the sharp colour changes in them - it looks so unnatural for a level.I'll see if I can make some tweaks to the color changes, but there's not much I can do without going back and doing some major work on my palette.
Oh, and put the falling red stuff back in. It's in the first screenshot (the one with castle) but not the second :PThere's an example of how much my tile set depends on motion. That fiery stuff is actually shooting up from the bottom of the level, and wanders across the entire stage. It just happened to be in view for the first shot and not for the second. I haven't removed or changed it at all.

Radium

Dec 30, 2003, 02:41 PM

Flamepanther

Dec 30, 2003, 04:43 PM

Hmm. If you animated the firey things to wave back and forth and up and down a little, gave them some horizontal motion (so the layer moves up and to the right), and made them flicker a bit, they'd look just like embers or fireball things blowing off the surface of the lava.If you're talking about the bright little specks scattered randomly across every screenshot, that's exactly what I've done. :)

Flamepanther

Dec 30, 2003, 04:46 PM

Radium

Dec 30, 2003, 05:05 PM

I mean actually animating the tile with the spark on it to move around, in addition to the layer, so it isn't always moving with the same speed.

Flamepanther

Dec 30, 2003, 07:58 PM

I mean actually animating the tile with the spark on it to move around, in addition to the layer, so it isn't always moving with the same speed.Yes. It bobs up and down. The effect will be more obvious in the second stage (already in progress). In this level, it moves so quickly and on so many layers that it's difficult to tell. I would make multiple animations of it to add variety, but I've got too many animated tiles already.

Gecko

Jan 1, 2004, 02:58 PM

The tileset and screenies *Drool*
Oh and i'll test the second level when it's ready for the testing stage, but PM me the Stuff not e-mail it. Because well ummmm *has no e-mail Address*

Tangerïne

Jan 3, 2004, 01:57 AM

I've gone in and removed some barely-used color entries in my tileset so that I can do more work with the ground tiles. This time, I think the results will be satisfactory to most of you, but it means yet again that this will take even more time. :mad:

Better to wait for a good level than play a bad one, right? w00t. Thw only thing I have trouble with now is the ribs, they went with the castle but not with the current blocks.

And if you have no e-mail, how did you sign up?

Gecko

Jan 3, 2004, 07:53 AM

Well I used to have one and got rid of it since I barely used it and that such. I just wish people would trash the E-mail comfirmation thing.......

Oh and on topic did you rip those tiles when all you have is a J2t file?

Flamepanther

Jan 3, 2004, 10:06 PM

Thw only thing I have trouble with now is the ribs, they went with the castle but not with the current blocks.They don't go because the space behind them was too flat. I'm fixing it.

Flamepanther

Jan 3, 2004, 10:13 PM

Oh and on topic did you rip those tiles when all you have is a J2t file?You mean how did I do it? I opened up the tile sets in JCS and took screen shots, then pasted the tiles into my own set as needed.

BTW, you don;t need to wait until the second level is ready to start testing. You're welcome to test the first, as long as I can manage to get the files to you.

Gecko

Jan 5, 2004, 01:18 PM

You mean how did I do it? I opened up the tile sets in JCS and took screen shots, then pasted the tiles into my own set as needed.

BTW, you don;t need to wait until the second level is ready to start testing. You're welcome to test the first, as long as I can manage to get the files to you.

But I want to test the second level.

Flamepanther

Jan 5, 2004, 03:01 PM

But I want to test the second level.
What's wrong with testing both?

mikeejimbo

Jan 7, 2004, 05:18 PM

Is it ready to test right now?

If so, I'll PM you my e-mail address.

Flamepanther

Jan 7, 2004, 07:53 PM

Is it ready to test right now?

If so, I'll PM you my e-mail address.
Give it just a little more time. I'll announce it here when I'm ready.

Here's a progress report for those who are waiting:

Currently, I'm having to "texture" the entire stage to get the look I want. I'm already 50% done with that. (Edit: Note, this is the last time I change the tiles. I'm very happy with the new look I'm getting, and it will be final... so no screenies. You'll all just have to try it out and see }> )

Next, I have some problems with the enemies at the very last part of the stage. I know without testing that it needs work, so I'm going to get to it before I let a singe person into the stage... but after I'm done "texturing" everything.

Then I'm done! All terrain is in place. Obstacles, secrets, items, and hints are in place.

When I'm finished, there will also be support for all three difficulty settings, one Jazz(or Lori)-only secret, and one Spazz-only secret (in addition to all the secrets that everyone else can get)

Flamepanther

Jan 12, 2004, 05:58 PM

Status update:

I'm almost completely done re-working the level to use to the new tiles properly. Just a couple of spots to fix.

I decided to add lighting effects to one area. It looks great for the most part, but it caused a bug in a sequence of secret chambers. Removing one room from a sequence of rooms connected by teleporters fixed the bug. The "removed" room still exists, but it no longer part of that sequence of chambers. It is now a secret accessed from an entirely different part of the level (VERY hard to find, too).

I still have to work on the enemies at the end of the level. Most of them are either too hard to deal with at the speeds I'm, uh, encouraging players to move at, or they're too easy to simply run past and not have to deal with them at all. I need to find a way to balance it. I will keep working on it until it feels right.

Stijn

Jan 13, 2004, 06:36 AM

That sounds so 1337.

Risp_old

Jan 13, 2004, 01:36 PM

Wow, that sounds like some hard work for just one level. Dedication.

Flamepanther

Jan 13, 2004, 10:34 PM

Wow, that sounds like some hard work for just one level. Dedication.Well I give what I'm doing everything I can put into it, or I give up on it completely. That sucks, considering some of the promising things I've started and abandoned, but once I've let people know I'm working on it, I tend to work on it until I finish.

I think if people with more talent and skill than me would put more time into things (not four years, that was just because of college) we'd have some stuff a LOT more amazing than we've seen done with Jazz 2. Not pointing any fingers, but there are some people around who I think have more talent and skill...

blurredd

Jan 16, 2004, 04:30 PM

Feel free to point fingers. I won't mind.

Iam Canadian

Jan 16, 2004, 10:34 PM

Umm...wow! That looks awesome.
Can I beta test? Please?

Flamepanther

Jan 20, 2004, 12:18 AM

UPDATE:
Progress will again be delayed for now, as personal problems have come up concerning my long-distance fiance, who is having a severe bout of depression. The wedding has been postponed indefinately, and I am moving away from home to be near her. I won't be posting here or working on the level at all until I have finished moving to my new (and still temporary) home. Even then, progress will be slower while I find a new job in that area. Please wish us luck.

Progress will resume once things have settled down slightly. I'm not letting all this work go to waste by not finishing.

Umm...wow! That looks awesome.
Can I beta test? Please?
Yes, once I am able to work on it again...

Flamepanther

Jan 26, 2004, 01:30 PM

I am now somewhat settled in, living on the couch at a friend's house. Progress on the level(s) will resume now.

Flamepanther

Feb 6, 2004, 12:17 AM

I've made a few last tweaks to the look of the level, and I'm finally making progress on the enemies in the last area. I should be ready to start public testing in a week or two. Wish me luck and inspiration! :D

Stijn

Feb 6, 2004, 05:51 AM

Good luck and inspiration :)

Flamepanther

Feb 12, 2004, 09:17 PM

I've got a couple of tweaks left to do on the baddies. I'm very close to finished with that. In a day or two, I'll be packaging the level and putting it online for public testing! :D

I have a couple of things I want to ask about before then, assuming anyone responds by that time.

1. Would anyone like me to include a VERY early w.i.p. of stage 2? This would be included just to give a tiny glimpse of what I've got planned, and to demonstrate how I plan to string the levels together continuously. I'm seriously considering it.

2. There are some things about my level that deserve documentation, but it seems likely that if I include a txt file, many people will not read it. As an alternative, I have built a makeshift "readme" level instead of a text file, which will go in front of the first stage until the pack is more complete. Not only does it seem to me that it is less likely to go ignored, but it's also just more interesting than a plain boring text file. Is anyone going to have a problem with this?

Violet CLM

Feb 12, 2004, 09:36 PM

I find readme levels annoying, but that's just me.

Flamepanther

Feb 12, 2004, 10:33 PM

Well if I decide to go with the readme level, you can always use the code to skip a level after you've been through it once. That's not too bad, right? ;)

Level one is complete and ready for public testing as soon as I get it packed up and put online.

:D :D :D

Flamepanther

Feb 13, 2004, 05:16 PM

Does anyone know of a reliable free host that doesn't have an idiotic file size limit, and won't shut me down for being a "download site"? Ad banners are not a big deal.

Radium

Feb 13, 2004, 07:08 PM

Does anyone know of a reliable free host that doesn't have an idiotic file size limit, and won't shut me down for being a "download site"? Ad banners are not a big deal.
I do =P.

Flamepanther

Feb 13, 2004, 07:24 PM

I do =P.
I guess it will work for you to host my level pack for now, but I don't know how large it will get in the future. Sending the files via email may eventually become a problem.

Flamepanther

Feb 23, 2004, 07:30 PM

I've sent a copy of the levels to Radium for hosting. I'm waiting to hear back from him. :-)

Radium

Feb 24, 2004, 02:47 AM

Nothing yet... double check the address. Or maybe the internet's just being slow.

Flamepanther

Feb 24, 2004, 04:16 PM

I don't think it's being that slow, because I actually sent it last Tuesday. I haven't gotten a failure notification, which would usually happen if I sent to an invalid address, so it must have just gotten lost somewhere. I'll check the address anyway, and try sending again when I get home from work.

Flamepanther

Mar 1, 2004, 02:34 PM

Had some problems getting the level(s) to Radium. He has them now. He'll upload them once he has time. After that, I get to deal with anyone who doesn't know what to do with segmented rar archives ;)

Iam Canadian

Mar 1, 2004, 03:02 PM

Yay! I can't wait to beta test! :D

Radium

Mar 1, 2004, 03:04 PM

Um... yeah. I was going to put them in a nice .zip or something, except I couldn't figure out how to unpack them... they're both at http://www.foxmage.com/flamep/ for anyone that can, though.

blurredd

Mar 1, 2004, 03:25 PM

Nice. I dislike using WinRar, though. I could zip the files if you want.

Iam Canadian

Mar 1, 2004, 03:38 PM

WinRAR works well.
I just completed DSM 01.j2l (what I assume is the first level) and...wow. The eyecandy is great, and there are lots of little secrets. My only complaints are there are too many fastfires and some of the floating platforms look out of place. I'm partway through DSM 02.j2l. I love the lava wall effect and layer 8. Unfortunately, some platforms in the BG layers look like they belong on layer 4, and are confusing. I'll edit this post when I finish the levels. Oh, and I assume the second level isn't finished, as it cuts off suddenly. Now to test the third level in the RAR file...
EDIT: Okay, upon playing, I learned "!Wanderlust.j2l" was just a readme level. I did like the readme tileset though. Excellent first level and tileset. I look forward to seeing this pack progress...

Flamepanther

Mar 1, 2004, 04:04 PM

Awesome! I'd like to have a separate thread clearly marked for the actual beta testing though.

I have a new email account thanks to the job I just started, and it doesn't have any annoying file size limitations like hotmail does, so I can send Radium the original Zip I had made, for those who don't like or can't figure out the rar files.

blurredd

Mar 1, 2004, 04:09 PM

I would say everything in the Sea of Flames tileset looks awesome, except for the tiles that replaced the castle ones which I still don't like. Those tiles do look a little better than before, but they don't really fit in and could still look a lot better. The textured background in 8-bit could've had a better palette, but it looks fine in 16-bit. But I have to say, the tileset does look a lot better in action. As for the Burning Cavern set, I liked that a lot as well, although the foreground that scrolled across the screen was a little irritating.