cato wrote: ↑Fri Feb 03, 2023 12:39 am
While I appreciate the quality of the system, a lot of content seems rushed every time I try to complete the game. Started the day after it was released and with just some levels not yet beaten. The challenges are brutal to complete, and I ended up deleting all my footage despite already completing them all due to a newer version coming out. Just as I try the 1.02 version, the portal failed to work. And for this 1.03 version, the starting point for the player is misplaced literally for the 2nd level (Paddle level). I immediately stopped playing after that.
Some challenges are, in a bad way, tight and frustrating.
- Paddle Wheels have two spots that scream it was untested. The last jump on the 1st section requires you to get hit intentionally and make a small jump on the Scuttlebug under the coins. As well as the vertical Paddle Wheel right before the checkpoint with 2 coins on the left and instant-kill lava on the right. Before the new patch, there aren't any coins on the platform that I would land on after the 2nd brutal spot. If memory serves right about how I completed the challenge in the first place, it makes the whole challenge impossible with the added coins. This challenge broke me.
- Swooper's no-left challenge is just difficult. Overshot a jump with the bouncing Swoopers and you have to reset the level. Speaking of resetting, why can't you start from a checkpoint? You have a lua system that checks if the conditions remain unbroken before getting the checkpoint and then saves it. Resetting back to the checkpoint instead of killing yourself intentionally after failing the conditions is just better.
- Sticky Swamp minimum jumps are tight. Almost little to no tolerance for needing just one extra jump. This comes from me that completed the challenge in exactly 24 jumps. A damage boost at the goal is a must and you can't even make a 1-block slime gap without jumping. It is quite unforgiving.
- As pointed out by others, the Ghost House speed run can be a nightmare. You had to slow down for tight spots between the boos and Eeries, as well as not take damage to lose your flying ability. You only have 2 minutes for the whole level, and it was a miracle that I completed it at around 1:40 after getting hit on the moving spikes and clutching with the invincibility frames.
As I said, it feels rushed. The fundamental technical problem with the portal error and the "exit level menu" not functioning somehow got past testing. Same with the "Challenge 2 completed" text and the "5th keyhole" text on the same line as the 4th one. Discounting the problems with the design of the challenges, I completed them all by trial and error. However, I never beat the game and will decide not to for the time being. I don't know what else isn't fixed or is still problematic, so I am going to wait until everything is finalized.
Thank you so much for all the feedback. I truly appreciate it. So sorry for the myriad of issues after patches, I was left as the sole tester after the initial release so I was bound to miss a few things, and I won't deny that the patches themselves were definitely sort of rushed. However, I would like to clarify a few things about the challenges.
1. While I do agree with the unfairness of the first jump you mentioned in Paddlewheel Peril, and have nerfed it as such by removing some coins for the next patch, it is possible without a damage boost when duck-jumping, though admittedly it's quite tight. In terms of the last jump, it is still entirely possible after the patch, but requires a slightly different route that doesn't involve jumping to the left platform at all.
2. In terms of the no-left challenge. There actually is no way to get stuck after missing a jump on a Swooper. There are slopes placed to the right of each one that allow you to build up momentum sliding and either fall into the water to reset, or if you're precise enough, get back on the Swooper and bounce up to the ledge. However, I can see how that is not clearly conveyed, and I will definitely take your advice to add a "Return to Checkpoint" option in the pause menu.
3. This one is completely on me. I did not test the challenge as intensely after modifying the level design for the second patch, making the challenge significantly more difficult (though it is possible without a damage boost and within 23 jumps). For the next patch, however, I will be raising this challenge's criteria to 30 jumps.
4. Much like other challenges, this one becomes way easier with a deep understanding of the level's main mechanic. With this challenge specifically, using the momentum-carry-over property of the fair pendant is your best friend, though it's likely you already knew that, which is also why I added an extra check that prevents a ground touch from happening at the moment of transformation. However, because of the amount of complaints I received about this challenge specifically, I do plan to nerf it in the next patch, most specifically the Eerie and Diagonal Boo sections.
Overall, the challenges are meant to test true mastery of the episode's controls, physics, and level mechanics, which is why I made sure not to lock any content behind them aside from a tiny bit of extra dialogue. On the other hand, I can understand the difference between challenging and frustrating, and am more than willing to make adjustments as such. I truly appreciate all of your feedback, and thank you for seeing the challenges through to the end!
Alexx0612 wrote:
I found and completed those 9 levels, but there is also a Moving Meadows level in the folder, how do I get into it?
There is a text file in the Moving Meadows folder that clarifies that it was cut near the end of development for severe quality concerns. I did, however, keep it in the files for anyone that managed to find it.
