New levelset: Twisted Ideas

talpa
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New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by talpa »

Hello everybody.

I'm new to the forum, I just subscribed because I wanted to share a levelset I originally built in 2004 and never put online.
After 12years, during a stop from work caused by an influence, it came again to my mind, and now (december 2016) I have revisited some rooms and registered a complete walkthrough.

I think its difficulty is medium to hard from a "traditional" point of view... but nothing compared to some "crazy" :D mods full of tricks I saw. Here, you will not pass through walls or closed gates or similar "bugs". Still, you will need "normal" tricks (very precise timing, very precise positioning, "clever" usage of the game resources, etc) that I hope you will find challenging and worth trying. Obviously, you will also need to figure out the right path... and I hope it won't be trivial.
I tried to insert some "flavour" moments: for example, the ending of level 3 and the beginning of level 7 are the same, the suggestion being that the fall from level 6 sent you back where you started! Will you be able to navigate through the spikes also in the reverse direction?
Also, using only the original graphics, I tried to be creative in the usage of the elements.
I'm particularly proud of levels 3,4,7,10. I hope you'll find it interesting and you'll enjoy it!


Name: Twisted Ideas
Author: Talpa (E.V.)
Creation: 2004 (revisited 2016)
Description: Flavourful rooms. Can you solve all the puzzles? No walks through walls or closed gates, but you will still need tricks and precise timing. Challenge: can you get the extra life in level 7?
Levels changed: 12


Level 1: Escape from a closed room
Level 2: Jump into my arms
Level 3: Skeleton AND SPIKES
Level 4: Mirror, mirror...
Level 5: Running in circle
Level 6: Pitfall
Level 7: Back to the third!
Level 8: Where is the mouse?
Level 9: Never a joy
Level 10: Hey bodyguard! aka Hold the door!
Level 11: Escher
Level 12(a): Fight yourself!
Level 12(b): Falling roofs


Walkthroughs available here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4o_os ... rPLuhiOdNw


Image

Image

Image
Attachments
LEVELS.DAT
(36.16 KiB) Downloaded 322 times
Falcury
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Re: New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by Falcury »

Looks interesting, I'll definitely give it a try!
And welcome to the forum! :)
talpa
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Re: New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by talpa »

Thank you! let me know your thoughts!

I forgot one thing: I uploaded to youtube the walkthrough to all levels except 11 (escher) since it's essential a maze (originally, in 2004, I tried to make it "really" escher-style by using broken room links, but I lost the editor I used then and now It seemed easier to build it in a more realistic way).
Anyway, as I was saying I didn't recorded a walkthrough for level 11. But, if you want to cheat, here in attach you can find the map.
Attachments
TwistedIdeas_level11.jpg
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SuavePrince
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Re: New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by SuavePrince »

I beat level 1...i think is interesting like Mike levelset
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Re: New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by talpa »

I've come to thought I've submitted my levelset a bit in a rush: I've discovered that apoplexy allows me to restore my original idea for level 11 (even if I find the tool a bit too complicated, it allows breaking the room links, which is what level 11 "Escher" was based on; so I re-built the level with RoomShaker than edited the links with apoplexy).

If you play using TotalPack, the levelset is already updated. Otherwise, here in attaching you can find the levelset and a guide for exiting from level 11, if you wanna cheat ;D
Attachments
LEVELS.DAT
(36.16 KiB) Downloaded 291 times
TwistedIdeas_level11_Escher.txt
(3.38 KiB) Downloaded 260 times
talpa
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Re: New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by talpa »

Anybody played it?
Feedbacks?
SuavePrince wrote:it's like Mike levelset
I don't know mike nor his levelset, is this good or bad? :)
Have you played more levels? Got the LP in level7?
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Norbert
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Re: New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by Norbert »

talpa wrote:Anybody played it?
Feedbacks?
I'll probably get to it soon.
Other things keep distracting me...
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Re: New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by oitofelix »

talpa wrote:Anybody played it?
Feedbacks?
I'll eventually get back to it and record a MININIM replay chain/walktrhough that will be published on popot/youtube.
Bruno Félix Rezende Ribeiro (oitofelix)
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Re: New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by Falcury »

I got distracted as well... I'll try to post feedback as I go along, when I pick it up again.
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Re: New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by Norbert »

By the way, two people did comment on your mod here.
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Re: New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by Falcury »

I'm currently playing with SDLPoP's bug fixes enabled, from level 4 onwards.

Level 4:
I got stuck at this level initially in room 3. Eventually I found that you can step forward onto the close button while in combat, to stop the yellow guard advancing further. Nice puzzle.
Then I tried to solve the puzzle of rooms 10 and 12 by sheer speed, but that seems to be impossible. Using the mirror as a gameplay element is a clever idea here, and nicely integrated into the rest of the level, because the idea returns in several different forms. Also the mirror set-up is already shown in the very first room of the level, which is a good hint that "this is something you can use" when it returns.
The puzzle in room 8 is a clever abuse of the way no more than one opponent can be on-screen at the same time. Later on, the purple guard "respawned", which allowed me to get the life potion. :)
The mirror in room 14 doesn't seem to be very useful, though? Just scenery?
Then, finally, there is the gate puzzle at the end.
The placement of the orange guard in room 20 is a bit mean... I got killed immediately as I climbed down into that room!
Overall: enjoyable level with interesting puzzles, straightforward to navigate (linear level - just clear the areas one by one)

Level 5:
This level is quite large, and nonlinear.
At first I just wandered around a bit. The rooms themselves are not too hard to navigate, but sometimes there are closed gates and dead ends.
So many level doors! :P And rooms 6 and 8 are exactly the same (including a purple guard), which was a bit strange to find.
It feels a bit empty at places... I felt a bit 'lost' maybe. Maybe it's better if there was only one level door in the level, so that at least it is clear where you need to go, eventually.
Room 21 is interesting. The orange guard stands on top of the close button, which closes the gate behind you as soon as you enter the room. This essentially makes the room 'one-way' only. For me it was a bit confusing, because I thought I would have to defeat that guard or lure him from that spot. But in fact the guard cannot be reached.
Eventually I figured out that I needed to trigger the raise button in room 11, in order to proceed in room 15. However, in my first attempt I already triggered that button before heading to room 15. So that gate was already open, and I only found out later that I had accidentally done things in the right order the first time...
I liked rooms 10 and 12 - easy to pass in one direction, less easy coming back.
I had to cheat in order to find out where I needed to go after I triggered the raise button in room 16... The level is like a maze!

Level 6:
This level is quite short, and gives an interesting twist on the original level 6 of Prince of Persia. Figuring out how to solve the level is a bit of trial and error, but because the level is short this is not too punishing. Overall: nice and short.

Level 7:
I floated down to room 6 on my first attempts. I thought I had to escape using an acrobatics sequence, but it turns out that this is impossible because the gate to room 9 is shut. There doesn't seem to be any way to avoid that, because the dark blue guard always causes the loose tile to drop on top of the close button...
I had more luck floating down to room 10. I managed to get the life potion there, which is interestingly placed.
After that, finishing the level was quite doable.
I don't think there need to be two feather potions near the end, though? And the one closest to the gate there suffers from a drawing bug...

Level 8:
Passing room 23 was a good challenge. At first I wanted to defeat the red/brown guard, but fleeing was a better idea, because the gates quickly close behind you.
The raise button in room 1 is a bit strangely placed, perhaps. It opens the gate back to the beginning, but this is not immediately obvious. And I also couldn't find a reason to want to return to the beginning of the level...
After this, the level gets a bit confusing...
It seems like room 13 is part of a puzzle, but there seems to be no way to access it?
If you jump down in room 17, you get trapped in a dead end...
The raise button in room 2 opens a gate, but not one that can be reached, it seems?
I eventually managed to get the level door opened by systematically checking every possibility in every room.
But then, how to get to the exit? The answer eventually struck me, but it took me some time because there are all these other loose ends in the level...
Definitely an interesting level. Not for the faint of heart though!

Some general observations:
  • I notice that some of the rooms are modified versions from the original levels. Personally, I would tend to just design everything from scratch because I find it a bit annoying to recognize the original levels. Maybe it's just me...
  • In the palace levels, the blue background stripes are always hard to get right... some of them could probably be tweaked a bit more in your levels. You could use modifier 1 on wall tiles to remove the bit of blue stripe on the right. The tapestry variant with modifier 1 has a bit of blue stripe on the right, variant 2 doesn't.
  • Sometimes, buttons get 'stuck' visually, if there are multiple buttons that share the same trigger link. You can avoid this problem by creating multiple triggers that point to the same gate, and using separate links for each button where it may become a problem.
  • It takes quite some time to figure out all of the puzzles... I had to cheat in order to give myself more time.
To be continued.
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Re: New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by talpa »

Thank you! it's quite a lot to process. I will need more time to check it all, specially the visual suggestions.

Level 4:
Eventually I found that you can step forward onto the close button while in combat, to stop the yellow guard advancing further. Nice puzzle.
Can you make a video and upload it? I think you found an alternate way of getting through, if you check my walkthrough I suspect it's different.
the mirror set-up is already shown in the very first room of the level, which is a good hint that "this is something you can use" when it returns
(...)
The placement of the orange guard in room 20 is a bit mean... I got killed immediately as I climbed down into that room!
Actually, if you use the mirror in the first room, you could pass through walls and have a look at that guard; if so, it's possible that you could remember it and avoid having him killing you immediately. But of course, it's intended as an evil trick :P
The mirror in room 14 doesn't seem to be very useful, though? Just scenery?
Another evil trick: if you used the one in the first room, you could be tempted to use this and try to pass through walls, but this time if you succeed in doing that you will die, because there isn't another room on the left.

Level 5 is intended like a confusing maze, that's also the reason of two identical rooms.

Level 7, can you explain better, maybe also make a video?
I don't remember a life potion, you should be able to get one only by travelling back the "spike room" (as in level 3 but reverse order). Maybe you can get two life potions and I am forgotting one? If so, maybe I should change the presentation sentences in popot.
I suggest you to try passing the spike room, I can't comment anymore this level without spoilering :P
Falcury wrote:I'm playing from level 4 onwards with SDLpop
Levels 1-2 are easy, how did you find level 3?
Also, is it possible that some of the visual experiences differ from DSLpop with respect to the original executable? (Just asking, I expect the answer to be "no, it's you that should correct the modifier :D")
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Re: New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by Falcury »

talpa wrote:Can you make a video and upload it? I think you found an alternate way of getting through, if you check my walkthrough I suspect it's different.
I'll check the walkthrough!
I posted a replay here:
viewtopic.php?f=118&t=3977&p=20631#p20631
talpa wrote:Levels 1-2 are easy, how did you find level 3?
It's been a while since I played level 3, I would have to go back to it...
talpa wrote:Also, is it possible that some of the visual experiences differ from DSLpop with respect to the original executable? (Just asking, I expect the answer to be "no, it's you that should correct the modifier :D")
The visual experience is quite identical. And in the default configuration especially, SDLPoP basically has all the same bugs and quirks that the original Prince of Persia for DOS has.
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Re: New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by talpa »

Well done Falcury!

Since I built this levelset many years ago, I completely forgot you could take also that one life potion! But that loose tile there you found can't be a coincidence, it must be the way I originally intended.

In fact, the second LP is in a place where in level 3 there is just a health potion, and that's what was there. But in december, as I re-found and finally posted my levelset, I thought that since there is a way to pass back the spike room, there should be an award for doing it, so I added a second LP instead.

I must ask popot to change my challenge to: Can you get BOTH LP in level 7? :D :D

Thanks for finding and reporting it!
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Re: New levelset: Twisted Ideas

Post by YURA »

I must ask popot to change my challenge to: Can you get BOTH LP in level 7?

https://youtu.be/cOzAOzGuVak
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