VVVVVV: The New Adventure! [1.0 RELEASED]

Started by weee50, March 20, 2017, 01:07:12 AM

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weee50

VVVVVV: The New Adventure is a VVVVVV level that takes place after the events of VVVVVV.

Zones:
The Gravitron Lab (Where you start out in after the intro cutscene)
Space Station E (Some parts are mirror images of other parts)
Deceptive Warp Zone (A Warp Zone where not all warps are what they appear to be)
Two-Color Zone (Every room is just two colors + checkpoints)
Space Station 4 (You can't flip in it)
Under The Sea (Where you can "double flip")
Disabling Warp Zone (Where a terminal can disable wraparound)
The Stign Ship (No special "gimmick" here, apart from a Trinket Scoreboard that works)
The Final Level (Combining from all other levels)

Screenshots:









WoodStuff

GLITCH FOUND! in you can't do wraparounds under pressure, go to the top left (where are spike passages, don't go to the other side), then flip and wraparound to the other side. you should end up in gray matter.

weee50

Fixed! The new download is in the OP.

QwertymanO07

Okay, first off, don't ever use custom resources.

But with that aside, this is a pretty great level, at least until you reach the Deceptive Warp Zone.  For the most part, you have good signposting, so the level flows alright.  You also have some neat zones, I was especially fond of the Atari-esque Two-Color zone, and I loved how you had to walk through Space Station E to get to the next area, a nice little Metroidvania touch. 

Though on the topic of Metroidvanias, I hope that you take the level to all those empty pathways you hinted at, especially "Pattern Broken" and "Wrapping Present".  This would make the level feel really cohesive, and give a tangible sense of progress tied to the apparent depth of exploration the player does.

Of course, now it's time to talk about the bad things.  First off, the Two-Color Zone didn't have a satisfying conclusion.  It felt like it ended early, and without some sort of teleporter to mark the level's end, I thought it was a fluke, and kept looking.  And really, you desperately need a teleporter hub.  An even better idea would be to put in in the second half of the level, but have it locked off until you reach it from the other side.  They're honestly very easy to implement, it's just some flags and gotoroom() scripts. 

I say you need teleporters, because I hate going through the Deceptive Warp Zone more than once.  That zone is based solely around lying to the player, which itself isn't engaging, and leaves nothing left once the player has figured the zone out.  Even worse, you fall back on the old cliché of enemies bouncing in really tight corridors, a configuration that's just as interesting to throw yourself at until you finally break through it.  Not having to go through that again would really help the level.  Though, so would not going through it the first time, but if I already proved I can go through it once, why make me do it again.

There was also one moment of really bad signposting, Spoiler (Hover to Reveal)

After that, there was a moment in the story that really took me out of it.  Spoiler (Hover to Reveal)

There is one more, surface-level gripe I have with the level: you're using the old, bad method of Internal Scripting.  Please, use the say()/text(1,0,0,4) method, it doesn't have script bars, so you never get stopped by random cutscene bars.  Ved can do it automatically for you, even.

Other than that, it's a nice level.  And I know I just spent five paragraphs saying why it's bad, but has bigger reasons why it's good.  You have a much better command over pacing than a lot of level creators here, and you use room difficulty really well.  Playing as Vitellary is also an interesting touch, many levels would just go the easy way out, and have you play as Viridian.  Ultimately, while it is currently flawed, that can be eliminated, and even still, it does enough major things well that it's a good level.

moth 🦋

Quote from: QwertymanO07 on March 20, 2017, 08:59:55 PM
Okay, first off, don't ever use custom resources.
why the fuck not? I don't even care about your review this is shitty advice and nobody should ever follow it
i was actually gonna see what you had to say so I could find out if I should play the level but I honestly don't care anymore

weee50

Quote from: QwertymanO07 on March 20, 2017, 08:59:55 PM
-review-
First of all, thanks for the advice. I will now state how I will fix the bad points.

For custom resources, I'll just mark them as "optional".

For your first bad point, I think I might make the Two-Color Zone like the Space Station in the main game. There will be some rooms that are in both areas, to hint that there's something more to the zone. I'll also expand the area into that "Dual Purpose" room.

Secondly, I will add teleporters. I'll change the name of "All This For A Trinket" and add a teleporter, and also add a teleporter right outside the lab and replace the exit token in the Deceptive Warp Zone with a teleporter. (Wow, I said "teleporter" 3 times in that sentence.)

For the third one, I'll just createentity() a trinket.

I already fixed the fourth one before I typed this out.

And I'll fix the fifth one.

weee50

#6
Beta 2 is out! It fixes most of the problems that QwertymanO07 mentioned. Download is in the OP.

EDIT: Beta 2 Revision 1 is out that fixed some problems that I noticed with the level.

weee50


SJMistery


weee50

Beta 4 is out! Now there's the Disabling Warp Zone!

fraZ0R

#10
inb4 April fools day update
EDIT: I found a bug.

Nice internal scripting xd

weee50

Quote from: 5tr4 on April 01, 2017, 11:13:07 AM
inb4 April fools day update
EDIT: I found a bug.
<image>
Nice internal scripting xd

Fixed in Beta4 Rev1! (and no, this isn't an April Fools update)

fraZ0R

I also went in the Under The Sea zone and then went out via the r button and now there's a second Viridian following me. And it acts like a crewmate in intermissions??? One of your bugs accidentally can be used for intermissions!!

weee50

Quote from: 5tr4 on April 01, 2017, 01:11:06 PM
I also went in the Under The Sea zone and then went out via the r button and now there's a second Viridian following me. And it acts like a crewmate in intermissions??? One of your bugs accidentally can be used for intermissions!!
Sadly, I don't know how to delete entities, and so that happens.

fraZ0R

Yeah , it happens. But what I didn't expect is that the Viridian that follows you , if it touches spikes , you get sent to the last checkpoint just like in intermissions! Think about the uses of this accidental discovery!