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[RELEASE] YELLOW: MIRRORS  "Colors of the Void series by Norvak"

User is online   Mike Norvak 

  • Music Producer

#1

Colors of the Void

Norvak - Yellow: Mirrors (YM.map)

"Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun"
—Pablo Picasso¨

Attached Image: duke0020.png

Description: A short semi-metroidvania non-linnear single player map. It can take from 15 minutes to 40 minutes. It's the first level on a planned series that I may or may not complete depending on the reception of the overall concept. EDuke32 required!

Attached Image: duke0022.png

Gameplay: Even if it has action and exploration sides, it also takes inspiration from classic Merlijn's Red series, Gambini's "It Lives" and most recent Eddie Zykov's "Memories" so is really lore driven both in terms of environmental storytelling and via text, pay attention to the surroundings, notes and viewscreens to immerse your self in the experience! I wouldn't call this map a horror one but it definitely has some mystery.

Attached Image: duke0024.png

Includes: New music (Mike Norvak - Colors of The Void)

Attached Image: duke0021.png

THANKS FOR PLAYING!

Attached File  Norvak_Yellow(Mirrors).zip (6.66MB)
Number of downloads: 46

FAQ

This post has been edited by Mike Norvak: 21 December 2024 - 03:15 PM

11

User is offline   Gambini 

#2

Looks intriguing!
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#3

Very cool. I like the concept of using colors as map themes. It kind of reminds me of the French "Three colors" film trilogy except there was no yellow. :lol: I think you painted a great picture of an existential crisis about having a strange "yellow" idee fixe and then realizing that it's the "color of deceit".

I see that you've assigned each keycard color a specific purpose (blue for weapons, yellow for useful items and red for map progression). The non-linearity means that you can choose between various ways to complete the map (e.g. unlock the jetpack, the boots or the scuba gear first), what is cool and adds to replayability. In fact, only the second play you actually realize what the map is really about, and why there's a yellow guy who hanged himfelf. There are also a few interesting design choices. My favorite is the ankh room, where you made great use of palswaps and also combined several different textures to simulate gradual colored lighting on the pillars, going from a blue shade into yellowish light. I also like the "desperate desire" mirror designed with that trick of placing objects "inside" a mirror. Overall I liked your heavy use of mirrors and creative spritework with some extensive use of yellow pals. The combat is a bit challenging with tough enemies attacking you right from the beginning, but there's plenty of health and ammo on the map, especially for the freezer.
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User is online   Mike Norvak 

  • Music Producer

#4

 Jan Satcitananda, on 22 December 2024 - 03:12 AM, said:

Very cool. I like the concept of using colors as map themes. It kind of reminds me of the French "Three colors" film trilogy except there was no yellow. :lol: I think you painted a great picture of an existential crisis about having a strange "yellow" idee fixe and then realizing that it's the "color of deceit".

I see that you've assigned each keycard color a specific purpose (blue for weapons, yellow for useful items and red for map progression). The non-linearity means that you can choose between various ways to complete the map (e.g. unlock the jetpack, the boots or the scuba gear first), what is cool and adds to replayability. In fact, only the second play you actually realize what the map is really about, and why there's a yellow guy who hanged himfelf. There are also a few interesting design choices. My favorite is the ankh room, where you made great use of palswaps and also combined several different textures to simulate gradual colored lighting on the pillars, going from a blue shade into yellowish light. I also like the "desperate desire" mirror designed with that trick of placing objects "inside" a mirror. Overall I liked your heavy use of mirrors and creative spritework with some extensive use of yellow pals. The combat is a bit challenging with tough enemies attacking you right from the beginning, but there's plenty of health and ammo on the map, especially for the freezer.


I'm glad you enjoy it! That Erised mirror (desire backwards) is from Harry Potter. The Magic Mirror in the Wall is from Snow White. Yeah playing the map for the second time makes more sense isn't it?

BTW I see some people sre suffering with the difficulty of this map but all 3 difficulty settings are implemented.

This post has been edited by Mike Norvak: 22 December 2024 - 06:03 AM

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User is online   Mike Norvak 

  • Music Producer

#5

Also I forgot to thank betatesters CK3D Aleks, Clangbang and Seizhak! Without you guys this map would probably have been worse! 😬

This post has been edited by Mike Norvak: 22 December 2024 - 06:13 AM

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#6

View PostMike Norvak, on 22 December 2024 - 05:53 AM, said:

I'm glad you enjoy it! That Erised mirror (desire backwards) is from Harry Potter. The Magic Mirror in the Wall is from Snow White. Yeah playing the map for the second time makes more sense isn't it?

Oh, now I see that the map contains references to those titles. Great to know!

The map is pretty short though. First time it took me about 40 minutes (was reading the lore and exploring the surroundings), but I think it can be completed in under two minutes with some luck. Basically you only need to activate both red cards and get the shrinker (and you'll also need the jetpack for that), so you can skip much of the map. I think it's a downside of non-linear gameplay; it's pretty hard to design such a map that would require you to do many various things and remain well balanced.

This post has been edited by Jan Satcitananda: 22 December 2024 - 06:26 AM

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User is online   Mike Norvak 

  • Music Producer

#7

View PostJan Satcitananda, on 22 December 2024 - 06:23 AM, said:

Oh, now I see that the map contains references to those titles. Great to know!

The map is pretty short though. First time it took me about 40 minutes (was reading the lore and exploring the surroundings), but I think it can be completed in under two minutes with some luck. Basically you only need to activate both red cards and get the shrinker (and you'll also need the jetpack for that), so you can skip much of the map. I think it's a downside of non-linear gameplay; it's pretty hard to design such a map that would require you to do many various things and remain well balanced.


I think if you are lucky enough to figure how to enter one secret psychiatric consultory you can even skip one of the red key cards and finish the map in about one minute, remember this is the first map in the series so think about it more as Hollywood Holocaust than Dark Side, so that's totally fair.

This post has been edited by Mike Norvak: 22 December 2024 - 10:12 AM

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User is offline   Ninety-Six 

#8

Is that your take on the Yellow Sign on that...uh, sign? I'm actually in the middle of reading that book right now.
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User is online   Mike Norvak 

  • Music Producer

#9

View PostNinety-Six, on 22 December 2024 - 10:49 AM, said:

Is that your take on the Yellow Sign on that...uh, sign? I'm actually in the middle of reading that book right now.


I haven't read the story so it's more of an interpretation of the symbol than a literal depiction. The map has some nods to Chambers' mythology intertwined with other pantheons.
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User is offline   Ninety-Six 

#10

View PostMike Norvak, on 22 December 2024 - 11:55 AM, said:

The map has some nods to Chambers' mythology intertwined with other pantheons.


Interesting.

View PostMike Norvak, on 22 December 2024 - 11:55 AM, said:

I haven't read the story so it's more of an interpretation of the symbol than a literal depiction.


Spoiler

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User is offline   stillTodd 

#11

Would some kind soul PM how to get to the shrinker?

I see one in a mirror (really cool effect, along with the Commander in the black mirror next door) but my mind is wholly unable to grasp how to, well, grasp it.

This post has been edited by stillTodd: 22 December 2024 - 05:36 PM

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User is online   Mike Norvak 

  • Music Producer

#12

A really fun let's play of the map by William G. He is below 29 hp most of the time but refused to use the water fountains in the street 🤷🏻‍♂️

Thanks William for playing the map!!


https://www.youtube....ive/B8cqUz31pFU
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User is online   Mike Norvak 

  • Music Producer

#13

 stillTodd, on 22 December 2024 - 04:52 PM, said:

Would some kind soul PM how to get to the shrinker?

I see one in a mirror (really cool effect, along with the Commander in the black mirror next door) but my mind is wholly unable to grasp how to, well, grasp it.


That's because the mirror shows the most desperate desire of the player.

Spoiler


This post has been edited by Mike Norvak: 22 December 2024 - 05:59 PM

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User is offline   stillTodd 

#14

Thank you. Great map! (edit: and a real challenge in DukePlus, haha!)

This post has been edited by stillTodd: 22 December 2024 - 06:20 PM

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User is online   Mike Norvak 

  • Music Producer

#15

Thanks for playing the map stillTodd! I haven't used Dukeplus in eons, I'm glad the map is totally playable with the mod.

@Ninety-Six Nice, so this makes a for perfect depiction of the symbol then. Have you read The Stories from the Yellow King?
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User is offline   Ninety-Six 

#16

View PostMike Norvak, on 23 December 2024 - 10:03 AM, said:

@Ninety-Six Nice, so this makes a for perfect depiction of the symbol then. Have you read The Stories from the Yellow King?


Yep. Almost finished with the book. Onto the last story, now (only the first four really pertain to the yellow king it seems).
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User is online   Mike Norvak 

  • Music Producer

#17

View PostNinety-Six, on 23 December 2024 - 12:17 PM, said:

Yep. Almost finished with the book. Onto the last story, now (only the first four really pertain to the yellow king it seems).


Yes, apparently the publisher pushed those unrelated romantic stories for commercial reasons?
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User is online   Mike Norvak 

  • Music Producer

#18

View PostGambini, on 21 December 2024 - 03:42 PM, said:

Looks intriguing!


I hope you'll like it!
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User is offline   Ninety-Six 

#19

View PostMike Norvak, on 23 December 2024 - 12:33 PM, said:

Yes, apparently the publisher pushed those unrelated romantic stories for commercial reasons?


Iuno. But I mean it wouldn't be surprising at all for a publisher to do that (especially at the time).

It's funny since romance is a major component of two of the play-related stories anyway, one of which only barely has the play in it at all. It seems tossed in more to "explain" why two of the characters contract a bad fever (something no other readers of the play in the other stories experienced, and it seems strange since do you really need an eldritch plot device to explain a fever? In the late 1800s?)

This post has been edited by Ninety-Six: 23 December 2024 - 01:04 PM

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User is online   Mike Norvak 

  • Music Producer

#20

View PostNinety-Six, on 23 December 2024 - 01:03 PM, said:

Iuno. But I mean it wouldn't be surprising at all for a publisher to do that (especially at the time).

It's funny since romance is a major component of two of the play-related stories anyway, one of which only barely has the play in it at all. It seems tossed in more to "explain" why two of the characters contract a bad fever (something no other readers of the play in the other stories experienced, and it seems strange since do you really need an eldritch plot device to explain a fever? In the late 1800s?)


So an afterthought to tie the romance stories with the eldritch ones?

Anyway in what moment they tied Hastur, a benevolent god of shepherds with The King in Yellow, an evil entity beyond human comprehension? My hypothesis is that this has to do more with how you approach the deity than the deity it self... I'm writting a short FAQ about my map series and all the lore and mythology involved
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User is offline   Ninety-Six 

#21

View PostMike Norvak, on 24 December 2024 - 11:22 AM, said:

Anyway in what moment they tied Hastur, a benevolent god of shepherds with The King in Yellow, an evil entity beyond human comprehension? My hypothesis is that this has to do more with how you approach the deity than the deity it self... I'm writting a short FAQ about my map series and all the lore and mythology involved


I did briefly switch to the relevant stories by Ambrose Pierce to try and find connections. As far as I can tell, there aren't any. Chambers just liked the names Hastur and Carcosa. Carcosa at least remains a location (albeit one that doesn't remotely match the description in Pierce's story), but Hastur goes from a benevolent god to simultaneously a lake and an entity that may or may not be synonymous with the Yellow King himself. The book uses the name in three different ways in three different stories.
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User is offline   Aleks 

#22

Played the final version last night, I've noticed you you removed one of the secret places and instead put there a Yellow King book. Found the remaining secrets which I have missed during the beta, of which the remarkable one was the shrink's office - this one also allowed me to skip one of the red keycards and get straight to Floron's domain. I also never found any RPG - not sure if it was also the case with the beta or did you remove it (or I just missed it!), didn't mind too much though. The aliens/sentry drones in the Floron's domain are the most challenging part IMO, but it's so cool especially with sparsely used NVG to just flash their silhuettes in the dark for a moment before shooting.

I really like how the lore is kind of scattered around in this map, it's neither important to the progression, apparently, or even gives the player a complete picture when you read through it all, it's more just bits and pieces open to interpretation, with a lot conveniently (and elegantly) left out. Reminds me a bit of trying to dig in through all the little details in Lynch movies, or Submachine (not my map; the point and click games by Mateusz Skutnik), which also leaves a lot of seemingly disconnected lore around that may or may not make sense, but is either way very satisfying to digest.

Now reading through the conversation in this topic, I am pondering the purchase of Chambers' book...

This post has been edited by Aleks: Today, 03:29 AM

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