Game Play Elements..

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 9:49 pm

G'Day again from Australia,

Thought I'd start up a thread involving Game Play Elements. Taking up the challenge from the Small World Comp of coming up with I guess new ways of doing things.

Basically, this could be a place for posting, not necessarily complete levels but even just 'parts' to show off new things to do with RTW level designer that others can incorporate into their own level designs.

In this level, and I'm pretty sure it hasn't been done before - correct me if I'm wrong, I've used a coily to make a conveyor belt regularly stop & start. This as you'll see was simply done by placing it within 2 squares so it can only bounce back & forth, and place a round conveyor button on one of the squares.

The effect is that, for example, boxes placed on the conveyor belt will move 5 squares, stop, and then move another 5 squares & so on.

Interesting? Useful?

If you have anything interesting regarding gameplay, whether it be something new or taken from a previously created level, post it so everyone can benefit.

Cheers
Robbie

eeyore31 · Post by **eeyore31** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 10:52 pm

I don't know if it was done before or not, but it was fun playing!!

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 12:48 am

Another fun one is to let one of the Kabooms do a bit of work for you using Gate & Buttons to guide them along...

The only catch is that it works best when you have the Kaboom not travelling out of your line of sight. You also need to allow a couple of spaces between gates (corners counting as 2) and also consider which way you set the Kaboom turning - whether to the right or to the left.

Have fun!
Robbie

majic1 · Post by **majic1** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 1:01 am

This is really a great idea Robbie - if I discover anything new, I'll be sure and post it. So far, I think everything I've done has been done before! (And then there are those WEIRD things that DiscGolfer discovered!)

LinkyNStoof · Post by **LinkyNStoof** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 2:31 am

Ghost blocks may seem useless because they don't do much other than containing ghosts (and occasionally killing them). However, there are two interesting properties about them worth considering:

1) they can block fire, just like a steel box
2) they can't be pushed into water though; they gets destroyed. You can't fill a tile of water with ghost blocks!

So in a situation where you want someone to use some kind of a block to block fire, but doesn't want them to use that same block as a shortcut to fill up water in certain places (because it would ruined the puzzle for example), ghost blocks would be quite perfect for the purpose.

Of course, reflectors and boulders also have similar properties with regards to lava instead of water, but if you intend for the path to be eventually filled by something else, using lava would mean you need twice the number of filling blocks around. If you're tight on space (as we all are now), this might not be a viable alternative.
--------
As you might've imagined, this idea came out of the level I submitted for the competition. Originally I really did use ghost blocks precisely for that property above (on a level with no ghosts no less!). However, as I planned the rest of the level, it turns out that by the way I set up the level, it's not possible for the player to try to make a shortcut using the blocks not meant for filling water, so I changed them to steel boxes instead since people are more familiar with their properties.

Darn, now I hope I haven't give away too much about my level...

LinkyNStoof · Post by **LinkyNStoof** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 2:33 am

Oh, I didn't realize we're supposed to post a level on the gameplay elements. Well, I think I explained my idea pretty clearly, I'm sure other people can easily find ways to incorporate them into their levels if they want.

LinkyNStoof · Post by **LinkyNStoof** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 3:01 am

Robbie wrote:Another fun one is to let one of the Kabooms do a bit of work for you using Gate & Buttons to guide them along...

This level was pretty cool (and the concept was definitely very cool), but unfortunately (and quite ironically, given the title of your level), I actually found it much easier to just use one of the blocks on the top row to hold down the green button you intended to use for controlling the Kaboom, thereby bypassing the need to guide the Kaboom at all. Despite your electric tiles I have no problem extracting the one block I needed. I succeed with this "cheater's solution" on my second try, but with the Kaboom it actually took me like 6 tries to figure out exactly what I need to do and to do it without making a mistake.

I guess one thing you can do to prevent me from "cheating" is to change some of the wood blocks into actual walls.

LinkyNStoof · Post by **LinkyNStoof** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 3:57 am

I've been debating about what I want to share with others. The thing is, I think if I discover an interesting gameplay element combination or setup, I would rather try to incorporate it into a full-blown level instead of just directly share it with others. But unfortunately it often takes time and a lot of effort for me to develop a full-blown level.

But maybe I'm being too selfish, to think that I have to save a stash of interesting ideas just for myself in order to create interesting levels.

So anyway, I've decided to share a little something. Attached is a level. I actually won't say what you have to do, but once you figure it out you'll learn something new about Wonderland/Return to Wonderland.

Then try to generalize this technique, especially the underlying principle behind it. This will allow you to come up with more interesting stuff. For example, I recently used this underlying principle in a somewhat inventive way, plus some fast fingerwork, to come up with a somewhat unusual way to solve Wonderland's Level 10-6 ("Confounding Teleporters") in 31 seconds, everything collected. (And gosh darn, there goes one good idea I have for future levels...)

Sorry for all these vagueness. If nothing else I hope you enjoy the little something I posted. On an unrelated note, I did not use this technique in any form in the level I posted for the competition.

Dianna · Post by **Dianna** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 6:31 pm

No comments on this level by StinkyNLoof yet? I've been sitting here looking at this one until the clock ran out twice, and I have no idea how to solve it or what the underlying principle might be. But I'm very intrigued...

Oh, I know why no one else is commenting. It was obvious to all you geniuses out there, and I'm the only dolt who doesn't know what to do on this level. That's it, isn't it? You can tell me, I can take it.

eeyore31 · Post by **eeyore31** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 7:41 pm

Well, Dianna.....I guess we are a pair of dolts

same with the ufo one too...I did the same thing you did....then died!

DiscGolfer · Post by **DiscGolfer** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 8:51 pm

I thought I was a dolt, until....

I think the idea was to roll down and hit the Kaboom- avoiding unwanted momentum. Then roll right, then roll left. Great idea!!!

eeyore31 · Post by **eeyore31** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 11:55 pm

OOOOoooo ok. I never would have thought of that!!!

That was neat!!

Dianna · Post by **Dianna** » Tue Jan 27, 2004 12:05 am

OK, that was neat. But what does this have to do with Confounding Teleporters? 31 seconds? I've tried teleporting when the Kaboom is in front of the teleporter, but I just get blown up, I don't teleport in the other direction. Lil hinty?

LinkyNStoof · Post by **LinkyNStoof** » Tue Jan 27, 2004 3:00 am

Dianna wrote:OK, that was neat. But what does this have to do with Confounding Teleporters? 31 seconds? I've tried teleporting when the Kaboom is in front of the teleporter, but I just get blown up, I don't teleport in the other direction. Lil hinty?

You have the right idea. The "underlying principle" is that to other boxes/boulders/etc., moving monsters (not just Kabooms) seem to act a lot like a moving wood box.

In particular, for "Confounding Teleporters" suppose you already place one block at the teleport. Instead of placing another block as usual, wait until the Kaboom walked in front of the block you placed, then enter the teleport. Normally Stinky would've come out the teleport the way you don't want, pushing the block as he comes out. However, with the Kaboom in front of it, Stinky is no longer able to push the block, in the same way that if you have had 2 blocks there Stinky can't push, and so Stinky will come out the other way just as you needed.

I accidentally encountered this while trying to play Wonderland 10-6 for speed. There was that one time I merely try to send a block through the teleport, but instead the block was never transported at all. I was surprised at first, and then I looked carefully and surmise that the Kaboom must've been right in front of the other side of the other teleport when I pushed. I also noticed something similar when playing RTW's "Catch me if You Can"--one time the Z-bots near the end did with the boulders exactly the same thing you saw on the mini-level I posted here. (Only in the RTW level it was merely a nuisance.)

As for the 31 second solution, it actually requires very very fast fingerwork above all else. I started off moving one block at the red teleport. I then use the trick to pick up coins at the yellow teleport with only one block instead of the usual two, and have just enough time to then immediately use the 3rd block from the right side to blow up the Kaboom. Finally I place the second block for the red teleport, grab the remaining 2 coins and exit. (I didn't use the trick on the red teleport because the Kaboom walks rather slowly, and having to wait for it to get there will actually slow you down.)