AS's custom levels! (NEW: MBO/U conversions pack)

I don't have MBP, so I installed whatever came with Nerves of Steel into MBG. I got 2:30. I do imagine this in MBP to be my favourite of your levels.

Due to several reasons, I have canceled Water World permanently, and have deleted the maps for it. For one thing, there were several problems with the map itself, giving people endless errors when trying to convert parts of it. Also, the level was shaping up to be more about looks than content, as most of the challenges were quite bland and unoriginal. Even if it had converted correctly, I doubt many people would have enjoyed it.

I will start working on Instinct instead, which will be more NoS-style, and it should be completed by early February. Expect pictures soon.

I have also scrapped the Conic Sections idea and put up two more level ideas: Nexus and A Day at the Links. Find out more about them in the first post.

Nexus sounds niiiiiiiiiice. GL with making Instinct

Instinct and Nexus are both highly original and creative ideas, I wish them and you the best!

Does 'A Day at the Links' mean what I think what it means? A third MMG level?

Jan 12, 2009, 8:45pm, phil83 wrote:Does 'A Day at the Links' mean what I think what it means? A third MMG level?

Yes, that is exactly what I mean. Hopefully I won't end up copying ideas from anyone else's MMG levels.

Even though I had deleted Water World's maps, Matan still had them. He and Phil were therefore able to fix the errors in them and make some additions I had requested and couldn't do in Constructor. So, even though I said Water World was permanently canceled, it ended up being temporary after all. That's right, Water World is officially revived and will continue as scheduled, and should be finished by February. That'll teach me not to give up on my levels so easily.

Below are some pictures of the level so far, in-game. (There are not 18 diamonds in the level, I placed the interior in Battlecube so I could take these pics)



This is a picture of the entire level so far. The large area on supports to the left is where the wave pool will be. The water slide can also be seen, starting near the upper right.



A close-up of the beginning of the water slide. At the end of the slide (seen in the background of the previous piccy) will be a sand castle, where the finish pad will be.

I have been working on Instinct in the time that Water World was canceled. This level will be put on hold until Water World is finished and released. To tease you of what's to come, I have posted a picture of the level as it is now:

Great to see Water World is back up. Nice pics on it to!

Instinct looks incredible! Your talent still continues to shine!

Not saying that it is bad or plagarism, but it reminds me a lot of Turning Point which is definitely a good thing Water World looks great, what was it that couldn't be done in Constructor?

I like both the pics! Water World should be a very fun level.

How about making its water slide into an Ice Slide? It would be even more fun, and technically still water.

Quote:He and Phil were therefore able to fix the errors in them and make some additions I had requested and couldn't do in Constructor.

You mean redo the entire map Anyways, looks great, and looking forward to both levels

Good news is that with the next (or so) release of constructor, the bad brushes issues should be no more.

Jan 19, 2009, 7:58pm, pablovasquez wrote:
How about making its water slide into an Ice Slide? It would be even more fun, and technically still water.

Yeah, coz with water you have to move the marble yourself. With ice, it's all up to the level to decide your fate

But that wouldn't really fit in with the beachy theme that AS is going for... Hmm...

Since I have always believed that just smiling and doling out compliments isn't always entirely honest, I'm going to be very frank:

1) Both levels are exceptionally well-built, and I'm certainly glad that you were able to resuscitate WW and that it is continuing to be expanded upon. Instinct looks masterfully built as well.

2) However, neither of the levels are very original, especially Instinct. Oaky's observation is spot-on, and I can safely say that I have seen every challenge used therein before countless times. Among other things, you recently have come hot off a level using the very bouncy-floor platforms you have replicated here. WW is a bit more unique, but boils down to a display of curves and broken floors – such as those used in MBP's Treacherous Path and Perilous Road.

In conclusion: your level building skills deserve all the praise they have received. However, I believe, for your own good, that you should slow down and concentrate on making your levels stand out amidst the masses of others that have been released over the years. Please don't take offense at this comment, but simply regard as an attempt at being helpful, so that you can create the best finished product possible.

Jan 19, 2009, 9:14pm, marblefire wrote:a display of curves and broken floors – such as those used in MBP's Treacherous Path and Perilous Road.

A lot more broken now that QuArK has messed up both of those maps.

Sorry for off-topic.

Me disagrees with MF. I think WW looks incredibly creative and that when it is released it will be a fantastic level.
I can see what he means about Instinct, but I'm sure the way it is presented will make us forgive some of the old challenges.

I am curious to see the Wave Pool, that it may finally be a non-bumpy execution of the idea. The frame of the level otherwise has great theming. Smoother curves on the slide would be nice!

I would say that Instinct needs to avoid filler. At the moment I do not see much else.

Thats great to hear that Water World is revived. The pictures look amazing!

Hope it releases soon.

Water World looks amazing. I can't wait for it to come out!

I have a guess about how you'll do the wave pool: You'll make smoothly sloped water MPs (like the slopes at the beginning of Astroflight), have them originate inside one of the pool's walls, travel across the pool to the other wall, and then disappear (travel far away instantly) - or travel back to the first wall, but taking an instant round-about course so as not to shoot away the marble.

Jan 19, 2009, 9:14pm, marblefire wrote:Since I have always believed that just smiling and doling out compliments isn't always entirely honest, I'm going to be very frank:

1) Both levels are exceptionally well-built, and I'm certainly glad that you were able to resuscitate WW and that it is continuing to be expanded upon. Instinct looks masterfully built as well.

2) However, neither of the levels are very original, especially Instinct. Oaky's observation is spot-on, and I can safely say that I have seen every challenge used therein before countless times. Among other things, you recently have come hot off a level using the very bouncy-floor platforms you have replicated here. WW is a bit more unique, but boils down to a display of curves and broken floors – such as those used in MBP's Treacherous Path and Perilous Road.

In conclusion: your level building skills deserve all the praise they have received. However, I believe, for your own good, that you should slow down and concentrate on making your levels stand out amidst the masses of others that have been released over the years. Please don't take offense at this comment, but simply regard as an attempt at being helpful, so that you can create the best finished product possible.

You're harsh, dude. But you're absolutely right. One of the reasons I had canceled WW was because of it being more about looks than originality. With the exception of the wave pool and the water slide, nothing else in the level is that original. It's just slopes and curves, with a little bouncy floor thrown in. Eventually, I will go back to that part and try to spice it up some.

As for Instinct, well, a lot of it is, as Techno put it, filler. I won't worry about it until WW is done, but when I go back to it, I'll most likely have to do some sort of massive overhaul to remove many of the challenges (such as the bouncy platforms). Man, if I nominated that level for LotM in its current state, I would probably get fairly low scores for uncreativity and unoriginality.

My problem lately is that I can't seem to come up with original challenges, and that when I sit down to work on the map, I must have made several challenges or it won't feel satisfying. I need to slow down, plan on paper what kind of challenges I want, and then try to work on it a little at a time. If I do that, maybe ideas for new and creative challenges will emerge. I hope.


Jan 19, 2009, 7:58pm, pablovasquez wrote:How about making its water slide into an Ice Slide? It would be even more fun, and technically still water.

An ice slide is a cool idea (no pun intended ), but it wouldn't work for two reasons:
1.) There are a few places along the slide where the marble must travel up a steep slope. With ice, that would be nearly impossible to do, even with some sort of burst of speed beforehand.
2.) As Oaky said, it doesn't fit the summer-like, beachy feel I'm going for in this level. Ice makes me think of winter, my least favorite season.


Jan 20, 2009, 9:30am, pablovasquez wrote:I have a guess about how you'll do the wave pool: You'll make smoothly sloped water MPs (like the slopes at the beginning of Astroflight), have them originate inside one of the pool's walls, travel across the pool to the other wall, and then disappear (travel far away instantly) - or travel back to the first wall, but taking an instant round-about course so as not to shoot away the marble.

I wasn't planning on doing it that way (I was going to do it more like The Wave, but again, no originality), but your idea sounds pretty awesome! I hope you don't mind if I decide to use it (if you want, I'll give you credit in-game for the idea ).

I don't need in-game credit - in fact, I'll even make the smooth part for you if Constructor won't.

Since MPs always have normal friction (something that needs to be remembered for Megalopolis ), why don't you get a new texture for the waves in the pool? I doubt mmg_water would look good for them.

I reckon normal water would look awesome.

Maybe you could have some waves that go left to right and some that go top to bottom. That would give it a lot of variety

Shallow pyramids going in circles don't look half bad for waves, especially when each moves in a differently-sized circle and with a different speed.

your levels were a success!
how did you make nerves of steel?

Fixed the quote in the post above.

Anyway, thanks for the comment! To make NoS, I used Constructor, and also my brain (to come up with the challenges) and careful hands (to align everything so well).

Don't worry guys, WW is still being worked on; I should have pictures for you within a couple days. College life makes level building go so slow.

Hmm, quote removed. It's a waste of space to include the whole first post in a quote. Just commenting would be OK, but not quoting a huge post. Thanks

Well, i haven't seen yet any image of your levels yet, coz for meh these forums are buggy.

Anyway, with comments and discussions i understund that it will be a great level. Keep it up!

Finally I give you what you have all been waiting for...in-game pics of Water World!

This has been my hardest and one of my most frustrating levels to build. Not only because it is so complex, with the MPs and the curves, but I have to work on it around my college responsibilities. It's frustrating to me to have my level building go so slow, but I can live with it. The good news is that the level is nearly complete, and should (hopefully) be released by the weekend.

Without further ado, the pics!



This is the sand castle, easily the largest part of the entire level. It is surrounded by a moat and a shoreline filled with flowers, making it very realistic. To the bottom left you can see the end of the water slide that deposits you here. Inside the castle are several challenges, seen in the next picture.




This is a shot of the inside of the castle, from within one of the walls. The castle contains a small playground area, a raised water and sand platform near the front of the picture, and a moving platform inside a tower (where the arrow points to). The door in the background leads to a path outside the castle that takes you to the finish.




The wave pool has been greatly expanded and improved, as you can see in this picture. The waves are actually made of a few separate interiors, cleverly coded to cycle endlessly to like a continuous set of waves. You can see some beach chairs in the background to act as decoration along with the flowers.

Looks great! The castle has some great opportunities for scenery, and the waves look really fun.