#319
Posted 07 October 2017 - 07:47 AM
Hey hey ! Feedback Time !
Second level. BTW up until the 4th or 5th level I made my feedback out of memory but starting from the 5th or 6th level I have written them while playing the levels because they became too long and too hard to remember decently. Also some levels being VERY long I may submit them either under "Spoiler" banners or in 2 parts, we will see >_> ...
Secret Launching Bay :
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Last snow themed level, sad sad ... Anyway out of the three it's my second favorite. for starters I just love how the first wolverine we see talks (the one alone on the lake), especially when he's "it's somewhere ... lying around ..." with its old peasant's voice ^^ Anyway the first puzzles with the shack and fuses was fun, just got lucky to find the electric fuse in a corner somewhere and it's picked up automatically because it's quite easy to miss, unlike the door's Powercell it's not placed on an evident place. Also at first it's a bit confusing those stories of fuse because one talks about the fuse for dynamite, another talks about the fuse for the Fusebox ... and there's one that mentions a container containing (lol lol) a bomb for a core we actually never see (and if it's the one in that "Core" level that cured me then it's really too far fetched!) ... And finally sneaky harmful bits of the ceiling falling on your face, nicely done but may feel frustrating to some people (especially when you see how semi-random it seems to be). Anyway onto the first set of caves, quite nice with the frozen water and walls, easy to navigate and the first boss ! Well nothing too exiting about it since it's just a buffed up trooper with a surprising special attack, ain't as easy as it may sound when you're not aware, it's kinda the problem when making bosses out of pre-existing enemies, they are a bit limited and it's hard to make them more special, speaking of "special" I really like the special music for that boss and some others, it's actually my favorite boss theme in the game ! Then after a small reference to Duke and being afraid by earthquakes nothing special to report ... a stroll in the forest and some other galleries (with a neatly hidden secret), I'd say that part of the forest isn't as pretty as the one in the first portions of the levels and up to the small ship. But the visuals of the forest still have their charm kicking and appeal to me. Now about the main deal of the level, the base itself. It doesn't look that big from the outside but there's definitely more than meets the eye. This is really where we start going in the thick of Zaxtor's special mapping and mechanics (with enemies spawning to lead you to the next place for instance among many) even though it remains tame, after all it's just supposed to be only the second level. The base's layout is a bit more cramped up than the building from the first level but it's just as detailed and coherent. And also more technology based than the previous (logic since it's a launch base). Both nice and non-nice to see those blue thing filled corridors like AMC's Jungle Base (even though I don't like it I'm always pleased to see something familiar (as long as it's not traumatizing (it's fairly known that humans fear the uncanny))). Also I don't really understand the platforming section in one of the numbered doors in the dark area after those blue energy tubes, because it almost feels like it's an unfinished room while the base seems definitely finished, it feels a bit like the room's platforming section is a bit ""forced"" in the level. At least it's not hard, even though there's one jump when going back out that may seem impossible while it really is thanks to sprite-made platforms ... I managed to make it on my first try so I suppose it's a good indication (maybe I played too much Oblivion in the past >_>). Then when we go down to the boss I kinda like the huge staircase with all the platforms as if it were one huge vertical warehouse. On my first try I didn't understand how it was built because I had fallen on the side, beyond the safety grates, but when you venture through it normally it all becomes clear. Although it's really dark, it's too bad the night-vision goggles are real junk (unlike in AMC) because it would have been of a big help here, on my first try I tried using them but it was just the same as not using them ... Then comes our first real boss. It's a bit weird in it's conception but I've seen worse. It's a good thing that the blue "eye" is easily distinguishable from all the white closed ones because it would have been hard otherwise. And for a first major boss it feels like the absence of the slayer wouldn't be too troublesome, except maybe near the end with those poles that shoot rockets ... Also nice to provide us with one Medkit before, during AND after the boss ! It almost feels too generous. Once it's defeated the only problem is noticing the ULTRA IMPORTANT ship's key ... super easy to miss, and it's all the more problematic when you know that the boss's door can perpetually close down and trap you if you're roaming around the room too much. And then when we go back up to see that huge ship launch I suppose it can be quite misleading for people who have no memory (almost like me) since, yes we are told about it but still, we must go back to the ship in the forest and in my last playthrough I started to think that it's quite far from the base, and there's no enemy or anything suggesting that you'd have to backtrack that far. But actually it's the ONLY ship we ever saw and it's quite apparent that the base doesn't have docking bays for ships and, even without taking these into account, whenever we are stuck one of our main reflexes is to backtrack as far as we can so I guess in the end there was no need for further indication other than that simple message. And the cockpit of the ship serving as a nuke button is just like in Oblivion so I got that reflex of pressing "use" on the panel without asking myself any question.
Now a word about the music of the level. It's quite nice, it's a more serious and oppressing ambient then the other level but it's still fitting and doing its job. I just don't really like the first half of the tack with the incantatory "oh"s and "ah"s which are a bit too stressed in my opinion but it's just a matter of taste, half-way through the track and I like it more up to the end.
Conclusion: well it's a good way to end the snow theme IMO, and also nice to say goodbye to those iced up objects (so tedious to break them free). Level is about the same length as the first one, it's just feeling more linear than the first level and very VERY slightly mazey with the dead ends in the forest. And the base being a bit more cramped up than the building of the first level is just a good bit of variety. Also the puzzle with the fuse and the ship's key is already a sign that special objects like those are going to get more common in the future. In overall I'd say it's a good way to conclude the "introduction" to the game, a bit as if the next level is where everything will start for real (especially when you know that the four fifths of the game are going to take place on Trequonia (logic with the name)). It kinda introduces a bit everything the mod has in a way, special objects, upgrades, platforming, puzzles, backtracking and all, and all ...... all in a reasonable way and with a relatively constant level of difficulty. Personally apart from the secret level (and more specifically certain portions of it) the hardest moment of the first 2 levels IMO is that dark staircase leading to the boss of this level, because of the dark and all those Pigcops you can barely see. Although those corridors with blue barriers are kinda hard too. Also, and lastly, that level, because of the more cramped up building, was a good opportunity to put the Orb of Power upgrade to the test and it really confirmed my first impressions that it's kinda meh. In terms of raw power it's not enough of a boost IMO and since we can easily harm ourselves with it then you can no longer stunlock troopers against a wall, a very handy trick against the dark blue ones for instance. It's too bad we can't disable that upgrade because the fact it can one-shot Pigcops alike is already a thing. The fact it's forcefully applied and activated forever is troublesome in any regards anyway IMO, I'm now questioning if it was really worth going through all the trouble of the secret galleries in the secret level ...
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TheCultist, on 02 October 2017 - 09:45 AM, said:
