Loved/hated levels.

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Deltamatic
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Loved/hated levels.

Post by Deltamatic »

What are your most/least favorite levels in the games?

Mine are:

Keen 1--I love the ice city, so many interesting scenarios. And ugh, I just hate that red maze thing! You get so far, and then you are dead. Start over please. And over, and over, and over...

Keen 2--the London Tantalus Center probably tops the TEE levels for me. And, just because of a deep-seated grudge, Home A gets my worst vote instead of Washington.

Keen 3--Castle of the Grand Intellect best. Cape Canavorta worst.

Keen Dreams--Boobus' Chamber for best. It's short and interesting. Melon Mines for worst, it grates.

Keen 4--which to choose? Um... Crystalus, Miragia, and the Well of Wishes make a three-way tie. As for worst, the garging Pyramid of the garging Forbidden.

Keen 5--best: all penguins are black and white. Some old movies are black and white. Therefore, some penguins are old movies. Q. E. D. Worst: Sorry Korath III Base, I love you, but I went the wrong way through one of your sections and now you are paying for my mistake.

Keen 6--haven't finished it yet.
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matonen
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Post by matonen »

Keen 1
Best: Red maze
Worst: First Red rock shrine

Keen 2
Best: Washington Tantalus Center
Worst: Home A

Keen 3
Best: Fort Vorticon
Worst: Hal's kitchen

Keen 4
Best: Pyramid of the forbidden
Worst: Hillville

Keen 5
Best: Korath III base
Worst: Ion ventilation system
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Grimson
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Post by Grimson »

I'm not always entirely sure of which are the best or the worst levels in each game, but I guess they are the following (sorry my lack of knowledge on Keen 1-3 level names lol):

Keen 1:
Best - The City on Ice
Worst - The first martian city (north of Keen's ship).

Keen 2:
Best - Washington Tantalus Center
Worst - One of the final levels with the gun symbol on the world map, can't remember which one, and cba to check :o .

Keen 3:
Best - Mortimer's Castle
Worst - Either the mountain (if you try to finish it by going trough it, not over it :P) or the level full of ninja-vorticons...

Keen Dreams:
Best - Melon Mines
Worst - Spud City. Navigating trough the secret passages is usually a pain.

Keen 4:
Best - Pyramid of the Forbidden of course :D
Worst - Isle of Fire. Definitely IoF. On Hard difficulty. Man, it's a real pain in the butt to try and dodge the hordes of Berkeloids.

Keen 5:
Best - Korath III Base
Worst - The second level (forgot its name >_<)

Keen 6 (guys finish it already, it's not that hard :P):
Best - Bloogton Tower
Worst - BASA? I dunno....
Last edited by Grimson on Wed Jul 22, 2009 5:40, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by KeenRush »

These keep changing, so don't mind it if I've said different levels as my favourites before...

Keen 1
Best: Second Ice Shrine (I love this level, it breaks the rules: two exits, an unnecessary keycard...)
Worst: Fifth Red Rock Shrine (not sure why, I just don't like it that much -- Maze is garging, but it has some cool stuff in it)

Keen 2
Best: Sydney Tantalus Center (I like to save my favourite city, of these :p)
Worst: Home B (just look at it :rolleyes)

Keen 3
Best: Caves of Oblivion (a true trick level... fooled me a long time until I realized the real route)
Worst: Hal's Kitchen (inaccessibility...)

Keen Dreams
Best: Squash Swamp (lovely, atmospheric level, and I love those Squash :))
Worst: The Melon Mines (I actually like every Dreams level, but the Mines is the one I like the least)

Keen 4
Best: Sand Yego (it's just kool)
Worst: Chasm of Chills (for some reason I've never been a fan of this level)

Keen 5
Best: Defense Tunnel Burrh (always liked this one, there's some sense pressure and danger)
Worst: Defense Tunnel Vlook (nothing wrong with this one, it's again one I like the least)

Keen 6:
Best: Bloogwaters Crossing (I feel like I really am outdoors in some space canyon :yorp)
Worst: Bloog Aeronautics and Space Administration (somehow bland)

GBC
Best: ... :confused
Worst: every level
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Levellass
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Post by Levellass »

Keen 1:
Best, level 1 (Classic!)
Worst: That darn ice city!

Keen 2:
Best: The galley
Worst: Paris Tantalus (Actually, they're all pretty cool.)

Keen 3:
Best: Hal's kitchen
Worst: Level 15

Keen 4:
Best: Hillyville
Worst: Crystalus

Keen 5:
Best: Brownian motion inducer (Didn't it ave teacups in it?)
Worst: QED

Keen 6:
Best: Guard post 1
Worst: BASA

Keen 7:
Best: Apple Acres
Worst: Boobu's chamber

Keen GBC:
Best: Level 3
Worst: Level 5
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Post by Ceilick »

Keen 1
Best: Vorticon Commander Castle. Love the atmosphere here, I was totally scared of this level as a kid and remember spending days thinking about how to take down the Vorticon Commander
Worst: Emerald City. I don't like this level, mostly because you can skip all the gritty stuff by just going around the edge. Runner up for worst is the Secret City; incredibly boring.

Keen2
Best: Paris. Really like the simple level design here.
Worst: Weaponry B. The background is horrid, and so is the pea soup.

Keen 3
Best: Cape Canavorta. I'm not sure if i've ever beaten this level, but damn, I love it for the ninjas and cool locker room.
Worst: Fort Vorticon. I despise that huge drop only to go up avoiding laser shots. Runner up for worst: Hal's kitchen. Don't like the maze style and it's not much of a 'kitchen'.

Keen Dreams
Best: Apple Acres. Really like the 'dark forest' feel.
Worst: Spud City. Wide open, lots of walking, completely boring.

Keen 4
Best: Miragia. Really like the bubble domes. Runner up for best is Isle of Tar, really like the level design and that last two story house was always cool to me.
Worst: Chasm of Chills. Not sure what it is about this level, I've just never liked it.

Keen 5
Best: Really hard to choose, I really like most of Keen 5's levels. I'm going to say Defense Tunnel Burrh is my fav, but Regulation Control Center and Gravitational Damping Hub are really close.
Worst: Tied between Defense Tunnel Sorra and Defense Tunnel Teln.

Keen 6
Best: In truth, I really don't like the level design in keen 6. If i had to choose a best, it'd probably be Bloogville.
Worst: Everything else.

GBC
Best:
Worst: all the levels were horrid.
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Grimson
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Post by Grimson »

Keen Dreams
Almost forgot it :dead
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Stealthy71088
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Post by Stealthy71088 »

Keen 1
Best: Vorticon Commander's Castle. I thought the chain was really cool.
Worst: The Treasury- When I first started playing I was afraid of the vorticon- i called it a "Wolfie" and I always beat them the cheap way if I could over shooting them. That one was the scariest for me to beat cheaply.

Keen 2
Best: Moscow. I like the keycard light switch puzzle
Worst: Home B- that kind of maze was annoying.

Keen 3
Best: Cape Canavorta- I've only beaten it once, but I love Ninjas. I would have said the Caves of Oblivion, if it weren't for the fact that you can't beat the level by going through the mountain.
Worst: Hal's kitchen- Too many rooms with too little in them.

Keen Dreams
Best: Grape Grove. I thought the grapes were so cool.
Worst: Spud City. Felt like a chore to beat

Keen 4
Best: Crystalus. I've always loved it. It took forever for me to figure out how to get the blue crystal, but I've probably spent more time replaying this level than any of the others.
Worst: Keen 4's my favorite of all of them. I love all the levels. In terms of playability, I always considered the Well of Wishes the hardest.

Keen 5
Best: Quantum Explosion Dynamo. I had a Shikadi Master ambush me in the blaster room in the middle of the map. It felt like a scene out of a movie.
Worst: Ion Ventilation System- It feels awkward for a first level

Keen 6
Best: Probably the Recreational District because of all the bipships
Worst: Bloogton Manufacturing- I don't like it how its all one room
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Post by Arjak »

Stealthy71088 wrote:Keen 5
Best: Quantum Explosion Dynamo. I had a Shikadi Master ambush me in the blaster room in the middle of the map. It felt like a scene out of a movie.
Damn. I hereby dib this for my story, if I ever get that far! ;)
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Post by Ceilick »

Stealthy71088 wrote:Keen 5
Best: Quantum Explosion Dynamo. I had a Shikadi Master ambush me in the blaster room in the middle of the map. It felt like a scene out of a movie.
That sounds so awesome! I wish I had keen moments like that.
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Post by XkyRauh »

Xky's likes/dislikes:

Keen1:
Most Liked: Emerald City. Start lower left, go upper right; multiple paths to get there. It's a perfectionist gamer's nightmare, but it gives the casual gamer an opportunity to take a different route each time to keep things exciting. :)
Runner up: Border Town. Perfect mix of optional backtracking and point collection. This is pretty much the ideal first level length for any game, in my opinion.
Most Hated: Fifth Red Rock Shrine. So lazy. So very, very lazy. Pointless back-and-forth, and unnecessary Yorps just for grins.
Runner-up: Second Ice Shrine. Hey, I know--let's fake the player out, then make them back-and-forth for a keycard we didn't even put the door for in the level! GREAT IDEA! Way to playtest, guys.


Keen2:
Most Liked: Engine Room B. Lots of points that are optional, clear subdivision of level space. :)
Runner-up: Moscow Tantalus. Great example of how to implement a lightswitch 'puzzle.'
Most Hated: Rome Tantalus. A poor example of how to implement a lightswitch 'puzzle.'
Runner-up: London Tantalus. This level's twice as large as it should be, especially since the entire lower right corner of the map is unused. Wasted space everywhere.


Keen3:
Most Liked: Vortiville. A look at Vorticon School, some clever little buildings, optional points, and the 'secret' of pogoing back up the waterfall, making the 'boss chambers' on the bottom of the level unnecessary. :) Smart design!
Runner-up: West Vortiville. Another peek at Vorticon life, this time more domestic, along with a first taste of the Ankh and Vortininjas. Good introduction and pacing!
Most Hated: Cape Canavorta. Meeps in the Brig, reliance on Ankhs, tight quarters against foes with superior mobility. Gross.
Runner-up: Fort Vorta Bella. Blind drops onto hazard after hazard, rushed by the guns on the left. This level puts ridiculous amounts of stress on the player for no real reward.


Keen4:
Most Liked: Slug Village. Stick to the top where it's safe & light, or plunge underground for the real prizes? :)
Runner-up: Sand Yego. I like the pacing and length of this level. Good use of space and distribution of points.
Most Hated: Crystalus. This level's flow does not work for me. I feel like I've got too much open space to explore and not enough direction. From the start, I can head all the way up to the Green Keygem holder without knowing I'm going the wrong way, and have to backtrack through pretty much the entire level, all because I thought "up and right" was the correct way to go. :( Boo.
Runner-up: Pyramid of Shadows. Claustrophobic, full of backtracking, and Too Hot looping the entire time. I surrender!


Keen5:
Most Liked: Gravitational Damping Hub. Nice use of space, and particularly great use of markers (A, B, C) to help the player keep track of objectives. From the opening area, we see a Green Keygem holder and an open bridge labeled B--we've got direction!
Runner-up: Energy Flow Systems. A counterclockwise level flow with plenty of optional goodies. Nice! The fact that the elevator tracks are plainly visible takes the mystery out of jumping from platform to platform.
Most Hated: Defense Tunnel Burrh. Claustrophobic, and designed to waste the player's time. The final two keygem doors are a joke.
Runner-up: Security Center. This level is far too long for the second level of the game. Either get rid of Switch A, or get rid of the Red Keygem, and it'd be fine. But having both makes the beginning of the level take too long.

Keen6:
Most Liked: Bloogbase Recreational District. Perfect flow! I can never get more than a screen in the wrong direction without receiving a pointer of what the next step is. Room to maneuver, good pacing, and a secret that lets you skip half the level. I love it!
Runner-up: Guard Post One. An example of how to safely put a large number of vertical drops in a level without endangering the player or breaking their trust.
Most Hated: Bloog Aeronautics and Space Administration. This level's flow doesn't jive with me. The lowest Fleex in the level should not have been placed there. Ditch him, and the super lame elevator ride from the upper part of the level to the lower one, and then cut down the backtracking with the Green Keygem, and we'll talk.
Runner-up: Bloogton Manufacturing. Here's the plan: We make the player climb all the way to the top, to activate a platform to get the Yellow Keygem back at the bottom. Then, having already explored the whole ascent and collected all the points on the way up the first time, the player gets to backtrack through a whole lot of barren emptiness just to put the Keygem in the holder and finish the level. Sound good?


I'm not going to rate Keen Dreams because I haven't played it more than once, and I've never played Keen GBC.
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Post by KeenRush »

What the garg, you haven't played Dreams any more than that?! :O

Also, am not surprised seeing a few others having BASA as disliked level too.
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matonen
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Post by matonen »

Oh my god, I never noticed that you didn't need that yellow key in the second ice shrine...

All those times I've gone back and forth because of that key... I feel so dumb now. :P
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The Shifted One
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Post by The Shifted One »

I dont know names from teh first 3 but, here we go!

Keen 1:
Best: The first green building thing, I dunno why but I love it.
Worst: That little hut on the south pole, damn fake exit and boring design.

Keen 2:
Best: Armory on the left, challenging but fun.
Worst: Washington, just not fun at all.

Keen 3:
Best: That mountain before the boss, exploration at its best! (even though it dosent lead anywhere).
Worst: The secret level, just wasnt worth waiting on that green thing for :P

Keen 4:
Cave of Decendants: Cool and mysterious, dunno why but it feels like that! Great level design too (the mushroom part sucked though).
Worst: Well of wishes, swimming levels just arent very fun, move around while dodge garg trying to find a way out. not my thing.

Keen 5:
Best: Q.E.D., clever design on this one, I love it!
Worst: Korath III base, god was it a terrible climb!

Keen 6:
Best: Bloogfoods INC, the music, level design and well, everything!
Worst: Bloogton tower, screw waiting on elevators all the damn time!

Dreams:
No opinion there, I never really got to enjoy the game.... :P
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Post by Syllypryde »

Marooned on Mars- Favorite: Vorticon Commander's Castle
Least favorite: Pogo Shrine

The Earth Explodes- Favorite: Paris Tantalus Center
Least favorite: Home B

Keen Must Die!- Favorite: Valden Park
Do not like: Hal's Kitchen

Keen Dreams- Favorite: Spud City
Do not like: Brussels Sprout Bay

Secret of the Oracle- Favorite: Pyramid of the Moons
Least favorite: Well of Wishes

The Armageddon Machine- Favorite: Gravitational Damping Hub
Least favorite: Neutrino Burst Injector

Aliens Ate My Babysitter- Favorite: Bloogbase Recreational District
Do not like: Bloogbase Management District

The Keys of Krodacia- Favorite: Mansion
Least favorite: Shoal

Dead in the Desert- Favorite: Red Rock Mountain and The Boulder
Least favorite: Lava Lake
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