Post by RFMX on Aug 14, 2020 9:15:44 GMT -5
Sorry for the late review. I'm like having phobia with demons right now.
Splitting into gameplay and decoration...
Gameplay
This level seems to have moving orbs as a gimmick of the layout. I think this can be a good concept, but you seems to have gone too far in making things move. Effects such as orbs/portals fading, orbs/spikes moving into the scene, orbs moving to a new location may look cool, but it can seriously hinder the readability of the level. It would just be a little nitpick if it only appears on a certain location, but when you are filling the whole level with these kind of stuff, there is a problem. (4%, 6%, 9%, 11%, 15%, 16%, 17%, and much more) (some spikes even appear after the player jumps which is totally not OK)
Sure, a shorter duration for the player to react can increase the difficulty, but I think this actually contributes more to frustration, than to the challenge. A level can be really hard but still very clear and readable. Take Zodiac, #3 on the demon list. This level is a nightmare to beat for many people, yet it does not use any cheap shots like invisible portals, or popping orbs. What it relies on is precision. I would admit that every level would have something unclear, which requires memory, but you should actively try to keep frustration at the minimum. You want the players to think that they crash because they suck and missed the input, not because the level is evil or something.
Here are other specific comments on the level.
- 0%: The 'triple' spike is actually covered by the attempt count. You may not notice this because the early parts are already kind of in your muscle memory, but this makes the jump much harder because the jumping spot is obfuscated.
- 6% to 8%: Orb combos should be short. This is because players often hit the orb in a slightly different timing, and the discrepancies can stack quickly with the increase in the number of orbs. A 11-chain orb combo is not acceptable, and you can feel the inconsistency best at the moving blue orb part. (Of course you can say that the precision of the orb is also a way to increase difficulty, but I know there are a lot of demons that do not rely on this. Again, you want the players to feel that the level is fair. Don't allow them to make excuses like 'I already hit the orbs but my icon simply cannot reach that'.)
- 18% to 24%: This wave part is quite solid! Sometimes a simple wave can already feel fun to play, as long as it syncs well and varies in movement.
- 24% to 40%: The asymmetrical dual is really hard to read, especially the ball+ship part starting at 36%. Asymmetrical duals are in nature harder to read, so you should make the layout as clear as possible. Add arrows as jump marks if you think this can help them time the jumps.
- 45% to 53%: I like this part! The ship feels very fun to play. The movement of the saws also give enough reaction time for the player.
The gameplay is generally okay, but beware of reaction time and readability. You can decrease the reaction time for a harder level. Just don't turn it up to eleven.
Decoration
It is filled up, but it feels extremely odd. Like, yeah, there are stuff in the level, but it does not really feel so good. Often, you make decoration separately. For example, the gear and the block deco in 12%, and also the diamonds and the BG and the random heart in 23%. Ask yourself: what are you trying to achieve while building this decoration? You are not decorating for the sake of decorating, but for giving the level a theme. If you want the level to have violins playing on their own, maybe consider some block deco that fit well with the violins? If you want rainbow blocks or glow, maybe don't add a ton of white? Decoration should fit well together, and I think most parts of deco have failed to achieve this, making the level look real random and poorly decorated.
Other specific comments as follows.
- 0% to 10%: The block deco feels a bit too simple. Consider add more layers to make the deco more detailed, such as some squares with low opacity, or some tiny blinking stars.
- 24% to 28%: The block deco make the block don't feel rigid. A part of the block is actually painted black, if you look closely, this is not good because the player cannot see the outline clearly. Gradients like this are best used at the outside of the block as glow, or as lasers when the more opaque part is overlapped.
- 30%: The arrows are really random. Again, ask yourself: what are you trying to achieve when building this?
- 40% to 45%: If you want the arrows to be outlined, don't enlarge another arrow because it does not actually work. You will have to copy a couple extra objects and move them around to achieve that. Block deco is okay alone but because it is black and white, it does not fit well with the coloored air deco.
- 53% to 63%: Why do you want fireballs rotating at the back as the BG or air deco? They actually look pretty awkward, even on their own. Like you can spin a pinwheel, a flower, some squares, but IMO you should stick with lateral movements with the fireball.
- 75% to 99%: This part have really awful coloor combinations. The palette changes from 1) aqua blue + purple + yellow, to 2) aqua blue + rainbow, and to 3) cyan + purple + yellow, then to 4) red-orange + purple. You can check your video to see how messy the coloors are. Check out some coloor pickers like this one to assist you in choosing coloor combinations:
Yeah, you used over 70k objects and the level looks quite full. However, the level looks real weird, and I don't think that qualifies as great deco.
Verdict
Needs Improvement, high NI maybe. This level annoys me in both the gameplay and the decoration. Yes, I can see you did put your effort into this, but I think you should think about what qualifies as a good level. The daily levels can look really repetitive and generic at times, but they can give an idea of what the gameplay needs, and what the decoration needs to be beautiful. Good luck!
PS lmao I actually posted this 3 hours after you tagged me
>>> Moving to NI