Nospike's Keen 5 Level

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Nospike
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Nospike's Keen 5 Level

Post by Nospike »

So, I got in a Galaxy mood (thanks to BotB) and took my first step in the world of Galaxy modding - a level.
Here it is: http://www.mediafire.com/?h9x8a95q326mnch
Tell me anything you think about it.
I made the level in Keen:Next, which IS awesome when you get the hang of it!
I spent a few hours working on it, with an extra hour balancing the difficulties and another two hours making the backgrounds. (I will never be so foolish again and will use the stamp tool.)
Who knows, maybe I'll even make a levelpack sometime! :)
BIG thanks to Ceilick, Lass and CK Guy for their tips and tutorials.
mortimer
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Post by mortimer »

:garg :garg :garg :garg :garg
Last edited by mortimer on Sun Jul 12, 2020 20:08, edited 1 time in total.
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Nospike
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Post by Nospike »

Thanks. You're right with the ammo, I was playing the level on Hard all the time and tried to make Hard really hard. So there may be too much ammo on easy. And I've always had a tendency to put A LOT of ammo in my levels. :D
I really missed a level directly in space in the original, so I've decided to make one.
I've also noticed some bugs with poles and platforms. I'll fix them if this will be made into a levelpack.
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Post by Gridlock »

I really like this, Nospike. The level has a pretty high amount of wasted space, but it was still neat to explore and play. I liked the feeling that I was lost in space in some of the upper parts. The elevator at the top that leads to the keycard isn't very clear. I would recommend just putting the keycard behind the red gem door and putting the points where the keycard currently is.

My advice is this: don't commit yourself to a levelpack yet. Keep experimenting with levels and learning how things work. Keen 5 is a good choice for learning since it has the simplest tilesets. I know it incredibly tempting to announce that you're going to make a levelpack, but chances are it won't happen. As you progress, you'll look back on your old levels and realize that they aren't as good as you want them to be, which can eventually lead to abandoning it. Keep doing what you're doing for now, and eventually you may decide you want to experiment with graphics or other things. This is a lot better than my first K4 levelpack I made (download in other keen stuff to see what I mean). You certainly look like you could become a great modder with more practice.

I don't want to come off saying that this level is bad. It is a very good level and I'd love to see more. ;)
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Post by Ceilick »

Great to see you are working on galaxy levels!

Things I liked:

I like the way you maintained the classic keen 5 enemy mingling: amptons and sparkys.

I like that the focus of this level is on open areas, rather than closed off hallways.

I like the underground area: very nice sparky sections here.

I like the balance between areas that Keen must go to beat the level vs extra 'bonus' areas.

I like that there is more than one way from the red gem to the red door.

Suggestions:

The keen 5 space tiles are a PAIN to work with, but I definitely suggest making areas of space look less 'tiled'; when playing it's very clear where one tile ends and where another begins. This may be more trouble than its owrth, depending on where you go with the project. One way of doing this might be to create stamps of section of space from the world map or level 1 of the original levels.

Wasting less space. When Keen walks to the first pole, even if he looks up, he can't see the platform that it eventually leads to. This isn't necessarily bad, but when there's nothing else to see but the background and the platform keen is currently on it does give a very empty feeling which borders on boring. Additionally, while many platforms have a lot of space between them, the section around and above the red door is very compact. Think about your sizing, play with moving platforms up and down, closer together and further away; even the space of 1 tile's distance can have a huge effect.

As Gridlock mentioned, the part with the keycard is a bit unintuitive in such an open, freestyle level like this. Moving it behind the red door would be my suggestion as well.

A suggestion I have for the overall design, which might be difficult considering the background is space, is making certain parts of the level more recognizable. Give the player 'landmarks' so that they can remember the areas in your level better. Maybe give one area a theme of having those yellow computers the amptons work on, maybe one section could have a theme of the blue phaser hazards, one might have slicestars floating around, depending on how you arrange the space background you can have one area feature some unique star cluster or something.

The more you can give players to let them have an easier time identifying different areas of the level, the more memorable and enjoyable your level will be, I think.

Hope to see more levels from you in the future :)
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Post by Levellass »

Criticism from the community's worst level builder:

* The level is too open. This manifests in several way,t he first is that there's no real intuitive goal. Yes Keen can explore anywhere, but it feels empty and with no direction. Climbing long poles is also a no-no, it's the dullest thing you can do.

* Less ammo

And that's about it, the level's pretty well done otherwise.
What you really need, not what you think you ought to want.
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Nospike
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Post by Nospike »

Thanks a lot! I didn't even think someone would bother to play a single level. :D
Space tiles: I agree with Ceilick. How do you use the stamp tool in the level? I thought it's only possible in the tileset.
Poles: They didn't seem that long to me. I'll try to do something about it nonetheless.
Keycard: You're all right on this one. I wanted the player to backtrack a little, giving him a chance to explore the level more. Also, I considered that a training on making moving platforms and their blocking sprites. There's still one thing I don't quite understand yet: What do the arrows on the platform sprites in Keen:Next mean? And what's the difference between green arrows and red arrows?
Marks telling you where you are: Good idea, I'll try to put that in. I couldn't find the ampton computer tiles... Heck, I didn't even find the necessary tiles to make an up-right slope.

Making Galaxy levels isn't easy, but I'm not giving up on it! I considered making an another level, and it will be an another extraordinary level. :disguised
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Post by Ceilick »

How do you use the stamp tool in the level?
Use the 'select area' tool (to the right of the paint can), select the area of the level you want to copy, then go to the 'Selection' tab and click 'copy'. It will now appear in the stamp bar on the left :)
What do the arrows on the platform sprites in Keen:Next mean? And what's the difference between green arrows and red arrows?
The arrows indicate which way the goplat will move. Red arrows means the goplat will bounce between the 'B' sprites. Green arrows mean the goplat will travel along an arrow trail (only in keen 5 and 6).
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Post by Nisaba »

unfortunately the link is dead. is there anybody who can re-upload this mod please?!
out now (link) : Image
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Nospike
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Post by Nospike »

Turns out I still have it. This should be it.
Here you go: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9driemtorl2lo ... v.zip?dl=0
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Post by Nisaba »

hey ya, CANDIES!!!
thanx alot. nice little level. the nightsky is a bit fragmentized, but the candies recompense everything.

did/do you also created single (or multiple) levels for the rest of the Galaxy series (K4 + K6)?
out now (link) : Image
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Nospike
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Post by Nospike »

Nope, this was the only bit of Galaxy modding I've ever done.
I found it too difficult and time consuming to keep up. :foot
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Post by MoffD »

*pokes Nospike about backing it up somewhere*
mortimermcmirestinks wrote: Now I wish MoffD wasn't allergic to me.
Levellass wrote:You're an evil man.
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Post by Levellass »

MoffD wrote:*pokes Nospike about backing it up somewhere*
*Points to the Keenwiki*
What you really need, not what you think you ought to want.
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Nospike
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Post by Nospike »

Did this thing actually make it onto the wiki?

Wow. And such an old project, too. I guess I'm considered a modder now :p Strange feeling.
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