Right folks, back for Round 50 over here.

https://youtu.be/iN7VxbsDOZE

This week we're taking a look at

Soap Bubble - Tataye-06
Books-a-plenty! - SeaMarshall
Marble World - TheGraniator01
SONIC WORLD - lacantalou
The Caves Of Dream - SamDontTerebonka

Decent set of levels this go about, though i'm not sure if there are any real knock-out punches in the bunch this go about. On the other hand, none of them are completely without merit, either. There may be commercials this go about, that's not my fault. Apparently one of the levels has some music the owner's pushing copyright on. Also, the url has the word DOZE in it, which is weirdly appropriate.

Thanks as always for all the support. Hope y'all have a great day, yeah!

Behind the Curtain Stuffs: i really like how the title card turned out this time around. Episode 051 just needs two sets of PiPs put in and that'll be done, so ist gut. We went out to see the new Blade Runner last night, didn't get in to bed until...ahh...2ish? Then i woke up around 5a to record the Isaac daily. My brain is kind of on the fritz at the moment, so...we'll sign off here?

I still have to watch this video. Should probably do it tomorrow.

It's Tuesday Takeaway time! Whaaa!

Soap Bubble - Tataye-06

Came away from this one feeling a little less positive about it than i had in the episode. i still like the visual style, and it's nice to see the Blow Dryer again, but there's too much signposting (particularly that lift section, where it seems actively conflicting). There seemed to be a lot going on here, and it was a bit hard to get into a real flow, especially since you can't always tell how things are linking up, and if you'll be able to get back to an area to look for the secrets once you progress (the first area, in particular, it seems like you can skip a bit, and not be able to backtrack).

Books-a-plenty! - SeaMarshall

i remember thinking i really wanted to do a "If you see Marshal, say 'Marshal'" joke, and then forgetting all about it once i got into the level. Which, with all the Harvey Weinstein stuff that was happening concurrently, might have just been for the best. Not too much change here. It's a fun, simple platformer in the end. i still think cutting out some of the bubbles would add a bit more tension, and give the level a little more forward momentum than it has, but it's certainly not egregiously bad.

Marble World - TheGraniator01

Like Books-a-plenty, my feelings didn't really shift overmuch here. It's a pretty quick, for the most part decently put-together platformer. Sometimes that's all a level really needs to be, though. A little filling in with (or at least a more consistent placement of) point bubbles would have been nice, but that's really a minor issue. One thing i may have forgotten to mention in the episode (but i think i got in a PiP?), there's a bit with three raising/lowering blocks that looks to be set up as a crushing hazard, but they won't actually squish sackboy. In fact, i think they may have been dephysicalized. It's kind of weird.

SONIC WORLD - lacantalou

i was worried i would feel better about this one than i had in the episode, and then feel guilty for giving it a red triangle, so...i'm glad(?) that's not the case. Well, not really glad, i hate handing out red triangles, but at least glad i didn't dump on something that didn't deserve it. Now visually the level is really nice. Not a one-to-one match, but pretty well done (and the rotating rings, i have to say, were a neat effect). The enemies looked....well...not great, but you don't see too much of them, at least. But mechanically, the level is just all over the place. If there's one thing i'm a stickler for, it's consistency in how the player interacts with the level. If things work one way in one section, but differently in another, it's hard to figure out what you're supposed to be doing in any given area (unless it's been made clear that a gameplay element is being shut down or added, like if you can usually climb on something, but if there's slime on it, it's poisonous or needs to be cleaned off, something like that). At the very least, it looks better than that Marble Zone sonic level we played way back when, and it's not quite as frustrating to finish.

The Caves of Dream - SamDontTerebonka

This one stayed where it was for me as well. i think there may be a pattern to that last bit if you sit and noodle it a little, so my deaths there were probably on me. Particularly considering this was made by an 11yr old kid, it's surprisingly solid. You could argue that the power-up pedestal could have been placed in a slightly more obvious spot, since progress was dependent on it, but i think you'd be stretching just a bit. It's a nice example of music really fitting the pace and theme of the level, as well.

So, that's the that, i guess. One slight downward shift, but even that wasn't so serious. Glad you're all having a good time with these, and i hope you're finding stuff you enjoy playing. Have a great day!

Behind the Curtains Stuffs

The curse, it continues! Slept in again this morning. i have no idea why it's only Tuesdays this happens, unless it's unconscious self-sabotage. Now that i need to do the Isaac Daily Runs first thing, it really screws things up to lose an hour and a half or so of usable time. Now, i got the levels for for episode 052 recorded yesterday, and the gross set-up for the hub as well, so that's ok. But the plan was to use the after-shopping time this morning to put together an LBsP on mdkd's Cursed Trains level, not spend it on the Tuesday Takeaway. With luck (i should really stop saying that, shouldn't i?) i should be able to use tomorrow's early morning to get the dialogue/cameras/animations for 052 done, and mid-morning for the LBsP. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

You know, it's nice having a week buffer to work with, but it also means having a level you've done get picked up for Level of the Day stings that much more.

i'm going to update the series questions post, so...might want to check that out. Or not, i'm not really much of an arm-twister.

Cool set of levels! I personally liked Caves of Dream the most. And books-a-plenty had a solid gameplay but too many bubbles. It was more like a path to go and not a extra that keeps the player collecting it.

Yeah, Caves of the Dream was surprisingly good for being done by an 11yr old kid. You're right about the point bubble issue in Books-a-plenty as well, there're just too many, and it takes away the feeling of getting a high score, because almost anyone will be able to as long as they move to the right.

Yes, I prefer it when the point bubbles are additional.