I went and retooled my original six stages and added an additional three. I originally didn't want to make any more stages because the lack of checkpoints would have made them infuriating, but that isn't a concern now. I'm glad you guys dug them, but I agree with you guys in that it got repetitive in some bits. Levels two and three got the most drastically altered.

One thing I find with many of the levels people are making here is there is not much sense of space or rhythm

I kept Psysal's post in mind as well, I tried to make my levels more organic -- if you had all nine stages lined up in succession they'd align perfectly. I just don't know if pacing was sacrificed though. Is the level progression still strong, or did I fix something that isn't broken?

level one:
http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=PNBQNCNELFLFLDNFLFMDgNDOCNDMChLHJHJGLENFMELFKDMHJHJGKFMENFgLEgKFgJDMHJHJHKGgKFgLDPIAPIAPIAPBNDMELFKFLEMDNEMFMFMENDPBPIAPIYJ

level two:
http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=POBQNDMFgJGgJGgKFgLEgMDPBNAIBJHJGKCOBKALHJHJDICJDICJHJHJDICJHJHJHJDICJHJDICJHJHJHJCOHJHJHJFLGgJGgJDIBgJGgJGgJDIBgJGgJGgJGgJDIBgJGgJDIBgJGgJGgJGgJGgJEMDYPN

level three:
http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=PAJAKAJAIHAIHQIAJAJAKAPIDNDNDNHAgHAgIEMEMHgIHgIHgICOHgIHgIGKjCKHgIHgIEIBgICOBoOHgIHgIHgIHgIEMHgIHgIhBNgGgIgGgIgGgIhFgIiCPIAPIAPIAOCOAPIAICgLAICgLEgNAPIAPIAPIAgPAPIAPIAPIYK

level four:
http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=NAOBQOELFLFJHIgHlBjHgIHJHJGKFKgHkBkHgIHJHIgHgIGKFLEMHhHiBmHgIEgBgIHJDgCgIHgIHgIGKHgIoIgCIAgIHgIAIgBIBgIBIEgIHgIHgIDICgIgGgIgGgIgGgICIDgIHgIHgIjCKGKEMEMCOCOBPBPAYO

level five:
http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=IBPAQPHgIHgIjBLFLHgIHgIHgIHgIHgIFLFLHgIHgIHgIHgIHgIFLHgIHgIHgIEoLHhHlAkHgIHgIGKFKgHkAlHgIGKGKHgIHgIHgICIDgIFLFLEMBPAPIAPIAPIGPIAPIAPIAOCOAPIAPIAPIYL
level six:
http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=MAPIQPBPEgLEgLBPIAPIAPIAPEgLEgLEgLEgLCPBNCNCNCOBPBPHgIHgIiBIBgIhFgIhFgIhBgKgJCgKgJCIjJCIBoKGgIkCgIkCgJFLFJgHlAkHgJFLCgBLCgCgJBgDgJAgCMDLgHjAmHgJFLEMDNCOBPBPBPBPAYN

level seven:
http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=ICOBQOCgDJFgAJjBgAJEIgAJCIBgAJoIAgAIgAJCIBgAJCgAIBJBhCKAPIHgNALBJDgIHgIAJANoPIAhCiIHgIlBIHAIHAIHAIHJGKFLEMDNCOBPAoPBPCODNEMFLGKHJHAIHAgDiAhDgDIDgDgDhAiHAgGKGKGKGKGKGKGKGKFYK

level eight:
http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=GKGKFQKHAgHAgHAgHAgHAgHAIEhAgIEhBIDoICgEiAIEICgEiAIGIAIHAIHAIHAIHAgHAgHAgHAgHAgHAIBIAIAIAJBIgIgIgJHAgHAgHAgHoIHAgHAgHAgHAIHAIHAgHAgHAgHAgHAgHAIHAIHALELFKFLEMEMENDOCOCOCOBYL

level nine (victory screen):
http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=KELDQAKFLEMEMENDOCOqOqOqOqPqPrOqOqOqOqNqOpOpPpPpPpPrOrOqPpOqOpOpPpPpPpPpPpOFKCJBJCKBICLBIBYLBICLBJCKBKCJBLFPPPPPPPPPPPPL

EDIT: minor tweaks to four & five

Joe Gribs: Your level's difficulty curve was just shy of perfect. Awesome job man.

Nitro Crate: I liked how your level never repeated any jumps but still had a nice curve to it. I know it wasn't part of the exercise but I dug the aesthetics of it as well.

Jonathon: In hindsight I should have introduced a new element for that third level. With the checkpoints present now I might try a second batch of levels, if time permits.

Hey guys, first off I'd like to apologize for not giving my critiques for your sokoban levels -- I've been going through a rough patch lately. Hopping on a library computer and working on these levels has made my day though. Once I get access to the internet regularly I'll make sure to do better, cross my heart.
 
My six levels are meant to be played sequentially, kinda had to rush through them due to a time constraint. Feel free to rip them apart.

level one: http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=PKFQAJGKHJHJHJFLHJHJHJHJHJHJGgJHJHJHJHJFhJHJHJHJHJGKFLHJHJHJEMHJHJHJHJGKFLFLHgIHgIHgIEMHJHJHJGKHgIHgIHgIGKHJHJHJHJGYJHPK

level two: http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=PKFQAJHJGKHJHJEIBJEIBJHJHJCIDJHJHJBPFLHJHJDICJDICJHJHJDICJHJHJHJDICJHJDICJHJHJHJCOHJHJHJFLGgJGgJDIBgJGgJGgJDIBgJGgJGgJGgJDIBgJGgJDIBgJGgJGgJGgJGgJEMDYPN

level three: http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=PKBYIBQKCIDJCIDJCIDJHgIHgICICIgIHgIHgIHgICICIgIHgIHgIHgIHgICICIgIHgIHgIHgICICKHJFgAJCIBgAJCIBgAJFgAJFgAJFgAJDIAgAJDIAgAJFgAJFgAJFgAJDICJDICgIDICgIHgIHgIFPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPK

level four: http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=PKFQKHJHJHJHJHJjBhJHJHJHJGKFLHgIiBiJHgIHJHJHgIGKFLEMHJHJgBkJHgIHgIHJHgIHgIHgIGKHgIFIAgIHgIEIBgIHgIHgIHgIDICgIHgIHgIHgICIDgIHgIHgIjCKHJHJHJHJHJHJFYPL

level five: http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=PKAQPHgIHgIjBLFLHgIHgIHgIHgIHgIFLFLHgIHgIHgIHgIHgIFLHgIHgIHgIFLHgIHgIiBiJHgIHgIFLHgIHgIiAjJHgIGKGKHgIHgIHgICIDgIFLFLEMBPAPIAPIAPIGPIAPIAPIAOCOAPIAPIYPN

level six: http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/composition.swf?level=POQPBPEgLEgLBPIAPIAPIAPEgLEgLEgLEgLCPBNCNCNCOBPBPHgIHgIiBIBgIhFgIhFgIhBgKgJCgKgJCIjJCICKGgIkCgIkCgJFLFLFLiAhLFLFLFLGgJGgJEMDNFLgAjLFLFLEMDNCOBPBPAYPPPJ

Thanks for all the hugs guys. I'm staying at a friend's place at the moment; he has two children so I'm being a live-in nanny in exchange for sleeping on his couch. With any luck I can move down to the Seattle/Olympia area within the next two weeks.

Stay awesome guys.

I got kicked out of my house. I could go for a hug.

Do you guys want to discuss your process for making the levels? I made elaborate puzzles and tried to distill them down to the interesting parts. My levels are pretty easy but I tried to make each one stand out. Here's my levels, all apologies for not scripting it -- I'm about to go for a walk and am pressed for time.

level 1 http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/sokoban.swf?level=BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBEAAAAAABBBABBBBAABBBABBBBABBBBABBBBABBBBABBBBABBBBABAAADBBBBCAAAAABBBBBBBBBBBBB

level 2 http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/sokoban.swf?level=BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBACBBEABBBBADBBFABBBBAABBAABBBBAAAAAABBBBAAAAAABBBBBBBBBBBBB

level 3 http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/sokoban.swf?level=BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBEAACBBBBBBABABBBBBBBDBDBBBBBBBABABBBBBBBAAAEBBBBBBAAAABBBBBBBBAABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

level 4 http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/sokoban.swf?level=BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBCBBBBBBBBBAAAAABBBBBDDAEBBBBBBAAAAABBBBBFDAAEBBBBBEBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

level 5 http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/sokoban.swf?level=BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAABBBBBCFAAABBBBBADADABBBBBABABABBBBBEBEBABBBBBAAAAABBBBBBBBBBBB

level 6 http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/sokoban.swf?level=BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAABBBBBBBBAAAABBBBBBEDBAAABBBBBAAADABBBBAAABCBBBBBABABBBBBBBAAAEBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

level 7 http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/sokoban.swf?level=BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAAACBBBBAADAAABBBBABABDBBBBBADEAEEBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

level 8 http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/sokoban.swf?level=BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAABBBBBBBBAABBBBBBBCADFEAAABBBAABBAAABBBBAAADBBBBBBBBBEBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

level 9 http://jonathanwhiting.com/coding/ldw/sokoban.swf?level=BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAAAABBAAAADACABBABBBABBBBBAEABABAABBAAAAADAABBAAABABAEBBABBBABBABBEAAADAAABBBBBBBBBBB

EDIT: Level ten was stupid, my bad.


Any feedback is appreciated, feel free to say that they're pretty banal because I kinda want to make a couple more sophisticated puzzles.

Now I can finally check out your guy's stuff. I'll make sure to provide a decent critique for as many as I can.  

It ran way too slow for me as well, couldn't play it. Which is a shame, because I loved your graphics. 

Level design is the one thing keeping me from finishing a project of mine; I know enough theory but my hands are still shamefully clean. This, along with a pledge to enter more short-form compos, should get me headed in the right direction.

Auntie Pixelante has level design lessons on her site; maybe we could do some round-table disscusions (via IRC or a forum thread) where we talk about the underlying aspects of the levels of a couple games? Perhaps a 'homework' assignment where we all play a game and write any notes we have about it? Just throwin' it out there.

My money's on the noir look. 

[Caution: Rambling ahead. Lack of sleep and an overdose of caffeine. Ye be warned.]

Caution: Rambling ahead. Lack of sleep and an overdose of caffeine. Ye be warned.

All games are art, a select few qualify as "high art".

Aside from those two, there is a third discussion, which is "How are games art?", and, by extension, "How can games be better art?" This is the line of questioning which can actually lead to a development of the medium and, besides, the approach which actually stands a chance of inspiring the creative achievements which could, hopefully, convince the naysayers of their mistaken position

Good points by Corpus here. I think there are a couple things we can do, as game players and enthusiasts, to help our cause here. Firstly, we should work towards game criticism instead of reviews; instead of placing value judgements on games we should analyze and pick apart their innerworkings. There's a lot to learn from understanding the underlying mechanics behind both "good" and "bad" games. Sites like Gamasutra, Lost Garden, The Escapist, Chris Crawford, et al have interesting essays and pieces about nearly every topic pertaining to games. Not all of them are gems but interesting discussions usually crop up from them.

We should all become more game-literate; the more we play the more we learn how other games relate to/differ from each other. Conversely, we should become more straight-up literate: find things that interest you and learn as much about them as you can. Take that knowledge and apply it to game terminology and mechanics -- throw a bunch of shit up and see what sticks.

Stop with all the petty bickering and bitching. I know it's not nearly as bad here as it is in other communities, but it's still present to a degree. Make the games you want to make, play the games you want to play, and respect other's decision to do likewise. I'm not advocating some "peace & love, come french me" attitude (unless you're down  ), but most of us (myself included) could stand to be a little more understanding. Empathy people, empathy.



As game designers, I think we should focus more on intertwining game mechanics; I've recently fell in love with titles like Mr. Gimmick, Windowsill, Spelunky and games of their ilk. To grok what I'm saying, just check out my Mr. Gimmick review I did a couple months back for PTT. Games are an interactive medium, and the titles mentioned above focus on said interaction above all else. Having this meaning(full/less) interaction adds credibility to the game worlds, enriches your in-game "verbset", and show such a degree of craft that I'm tempted to call 'Kubrick-esque'. I'm all for the advancement of every aspect of game-making (along with refining old mechanics and genres), but I think this avenue would be the most interesting one to explore. This probably deserves it's own thread, once I can get my thoughts down in a coherent enough fashion I'll post about it in Design. 


 

I know it's been mentioned before, but where's Cactus? There's an old urban legend about a trippy Tempest-clone that made people go insane; he'd be perfect for it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polybius_(game)

Woah. Trippy, trippy stuff.

I had a weird dream earlier today where I saw a character extremely like that. This was right before a dog king went and told me there was ten additional levels in Super Mario 64 and right after I did drugs in-dream.

This has something to do with checking your site at an odd hour this morning. Looks pretty awesome man.

I loved Sea of Static, I've got my eye on you. 

A desert caravan roguelike in the post-apocalyptic would be awesome.

  This sounds awesome.

One of my best friends will love this game. Best of luck man!

I played the game and what you said is pretty spot-on Allen, but you did word it pretty curtly. You should follow his advice Mr. X2, as there is a (rightly-placed) stigma on fan-games.

Thanks for the help, I'll have to give it a shot.

As for the part you're stuck on: once you reach level 8 you'll realize you have to do something crazy with a bomb. Once you get back to the second level it'll become apparent what you have to do.

Mmk, sorry for the oversight. I'd still watch out for the double-posting.

It's not the best tact to double post, especially if said post is just bumping the topic. Also, you noted that you didn't make this game; if that were the case why did you make the email account? Couldn't DarkYoshi handle that himself? Something seems up there.

From the first post I see ripped sprites and RPG Maker, which doesn't interest me much. Congrats for the dev finishing this, though.