Quest for the Five Elements (RTW level pack - 158/195 levels released, NEW: "False Prophecy")

[Amnon]

So this was here since Tuesday?

This board seems to be broken because I received no notice.

Anyway, I will start looking at the new series...

[Tech Warrior]

So this was here since Tuesday?

This board seems to be broken because I received no notice.

Anyway, I will start looking at the new series...

Interesting... yes, it's been up for a couple days. The next world is on my calendar to be uploaded next Wednesday.

[Amnon]

Took a bit longer, but now series 5 is done. Thank you!

[Tech Warrior]

Took a bit longer, but now series 5 is done. Thank you!

Nice!! You've completed CHAPTER ONE. Next we will move to the mountains and find the temple!

[Amnon]

I was not aware of any chapters and I don't even see them mentioned here before - how many are there?

[Tech Warrior]

I was not aware of any chapters and I don't even see them mentioned here before - how many are there?

They have not been mentioned - they will be revealed as we move along, same as the worlds. There are four total chapters, each one roughly 50 levels or so, to round out the 195 levels. World 6 will begin chapter two.

[Tech Warrior]

Welcome to CHAPTER TWO: The Temple of Elements.

You've located the map to the sacred temple, but can you make your way deep within the Snowy Mountains to find it? Stinky, Loof, and Peegue will join Qookie for the search as the gang heads deep into the blizzard-struck mountains, formerly foggy.



Difficulty: 6.5/10 (Advanced)

The Foggy Mountains have been corrupted by a huge blizzard and have been reconsidered the Snowy Mountains in lieu of this! You’ll meet back up with Qookie, who will agree to join the quest for the Temple of Elements should your map lead you accurately. This world is another immersive adventure – two of them, in fact, as you’ll be introduced to the principal antagonists of your journey while also observing the return of the fabled rainbow spirits. There is a lot going on in the mountains, as you will soon see. These levels feature quite a slew of new concepts, but you’re also going to see a variety of classic puzzles that take the difficulty up a notch. Have fun in this world – it’s one of my favorites!

The Levels:

Lv54 “Hello Again, Qookie” – A conversation level to introduce Qookie to the quest and bring everyone up to speed. The abbreviations at the end of each sign tell you which character to switch to next! A small puzzle is available for the bonus coins!

Lv55 “The Foothills” – Designed just like the original “Foothills” in WSW, except that you’ve already completed them! However, some things are a little different. You’ll be introduced to a new mystery in this one.

Lv56 “The Foothills part 2” – The rainbow spirits are running rampant, so just keep an eye on them as you enter/exit teleporters. Your main challenge is the puzzle in the green teleporter, which requires everyone’s help to successfully solve.

Lv57 “Camp Cove” – Quite an easy level, because Stinky can’t bother doing a whole lot as he seems to be coming down with a cold. That’s why the time pressure is so high! The real challenge is being able to collect all the bonus coins before Stinky faints. This can only be done with one path, so study the level closely!

Lv58 “*Crystal* Lake” – It’s frozen over! So just pick the right path and you’ll be fine. However, take note of the secrets hidden within the hills.

Lv59 “Snowy Shafts” – If it weren’t for fake walls, this level would be easy. Just keep that in mind as you explore the hidden shafts within the foothills. It’s a very deceptive puzzle.

Lv60 “Freezy Fever” – Everyone plays a role in this classic collaboration puzzle, which features huge WSW vibes. You’re welcome for that. Have fun, but don’t let Stinky get too sick!

Lv61 “Blockage at the Gate” – One of my personal favorites in this world, you’ll need to do a lot of exploration first to figure this level out. Once you do that, it’s not so bad. But be aware of everything going on, as everyone plays a helping hand in this puzzle.

Lv62 “War Begins” – You’ve learned about the new alien base, and that the UFOs will do everything in their power to stop you from finding the elements. Now evade the fireballs and begin your ascent to the top of the mountain.

Lv63 “Trickster” – If you don’t already know how to solve this, then you will find very quickly how easy it is. Note the tricks used in this level, for you’ll find it useful in many more levels down the road.

Lv64 “Alien Encounters” – This level is no piece of cake, but it’s also quite linear in terms of what you need to do. The main problem you will face is dealing with the UFOs, which will not always be so linear.

Lv65 “Location of the Enemy” – Mainly a level I created to subsidize an interest in a specific mechanic regarding UFO motherships, which you will see used here. Pay attention to this – you’ll find it useful in dealing with trickier puzzles later on.

Lv66 “Secret Corners” – One of the few 3D levels in this quest, and it will be hard at first. Now, I advise memorizing the path of the UFO, as the level gets a lot easier once you know exactly where it will be and where it will go.

Lv67 “Break Through!” – This one is a challenging collection of puzzle/action challenges that is very much inspired by “Foggy Peak” from WSW. There’s a lot of collaboration at play here, and you’ll need to think very carefully how to evade all versions of the UFO’s attacks in order to safely complete it. You’re almost to the top!

Lv68 “Battle at Blizzard Peak” – This finale is huge and may scare you at first, but just take it slow and you should make it. It’s the most challenging in this world, and up to this point in the quest. Your attention should be focused on the puzzles, of which you’ll need all four characters to complete. ENJOY THE SHOW!

Lv69 “And to the Caves We Go!” – You’re back at the gate, but this time there is no blockage. Enjoy venturing deep into the mountains as you search for the Temple of Elements!

Download Notes:

Extract the 'world' folder into your Quest for the Five Elements directory.

ENJOY!

[rainbowmon]

Every time you post more levels for this, I become more and more tempted to play them, despite knowing that at this point I'll be risking my sanity if I so much as touch my pathetically bad laptop. Must... Resist... Urge... To play... Wonderland...!

[Amnon]

Well everything else was fine and completed in a few hours, but I still work on levels 67 and 68, almost there...

[Tech Warrior]

Every time you post more levels for this, I become more and more tempted to play them, despite knowing that at this point I'll be risking my sanity if I so much as touch my pathetically bad laptop. Must... Resist... Urge... To play... Wonderland...!

Haha, if it makes you feel any more sane, I setup my old desktop specifically to finish making these levels! Sometimes temptation is good (that's the little devil on your shoulder there). We've still got a long way to go.

[Tech Warrior]

Well everything else was fine and completed in a few hours, but I still work on levels 67 and 68, almost there...

Nice! Those two are hard, but you'll get them. Once you solve those, I will ask you the following (spoiler): Did you find the first Blitzkrieg Clue hidden in one of the levels?

[rainbowmon]

*finally gives in*

Alright, having fun so far... Mostly. 2-9 - "Element 1: The Earth Element" - is too repetitive, having you do the same movements over and over to get boxes into place. That's okay for a shorter level, but in one this long, it only serves to make it 1. Annoying and tedious, and 2. Feel even longer than it actually is. Got frustrated and logged off for now, but I'll finish the rest later.

[Amnon]

I just completed #67, one more to go then I will read your question...

[Tech Warrior]

*finally gives in*

Alright, having fun so far... Mostly. 2-9 - "Element 1: The Earth Element" - is too repetitive, having you do the same movements over and over to get boxes into place. That's okay for a shorter level, but in one this long, it only serves to make it 1. Annoying and tedious, and 2. Feel even longer than it actually is. Got frustrated and logged off for now, but I'll finish the rest later.

I knew you'd give in.

Thanks for the feedback, definitely not my favorite level there. I think that one was made about ten years ago. Haha. There are definitely a lot of simple box puzzles in the early levels, but things get more interesting around world 3 or so.

Currently still making levels for worlds 15-18.

[Amnon]

Alright, I just completed the last level in this series - let's look at the question...

[Amnon]

Oh you mean the very first clue of level 68, about the motherships?

[Tech Warrior]

Oh you mean the very first clue of level 68, about the motherships?

Nope, there is a (spoiler): hidden sign in one of the levels in this world, which is designated as a "BLITZKRIEG CLUE." You don't need it now; you will need it later.

[Amnon]

Will I really absolutely need it? I like to solve everything myself, not with clues.

[Tech Warrior]

Will I really absolutely need it? I like to solve everything myself, not with clues.

Think of it like solving a case as a detective. They don't provide a solution, but they give you the pieces of the puzzle you will need in order to solve it. Without these clues, you won't be able to. I've made sure of that.

I won't reveal how many there are - not yet. But yes, you will eventually need all of them to solve the final level of the quest. Don't worry - even when you find them all, you'll need to figure out what they mean.

[rainbowmon]

Started a few more of these - I *JUST* beat "In The Middle Of NOWHERE" with 6 seconds on the clock. Some of those coins are meanly hidden; if you miss them... I was lucky I found the last coin when I did, because I didn't even see it and grabbed it by pure accident.

[Amnon]

you will eventually need all of them to solve the final level of the quest.

So far I solved the final levels despite avoiding to read labels - let's see how it goes in future...

So long as it is a pure Wonderland challenge I should be able to solve it, but then in the past I made two levels (http://pcpuzzle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=365917 and http://pcpuzzle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=109287) that where all about solving logical and mathematical puzzles, where Wonderland just happened to be the platform. Is this the case here?

[Tech Warrior]

you will eventually need all of them to solve the final level of the quest.

So far I solved the final levels despite avoiding to read labels - let's see how it goes in future...

So long as it is a pure Wonderland challenge I should be able to solve it, but then in the past I made two levels (http://pcpuzzle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=365917 and http://pcpuzzle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=109287) that where all about solving logical and mathematical puzzles, where Wonderland just happened to be the platform. Is this the case here?

You are exactly right. The Blitzkrieg Clues are the codes to the combination that will need to be solved at the end.

So far, you have played a purely Wonderland-style set of levels. As we progress on, things will get a lot more complicated. Riddles, mathematical problems, clues - these are all aspects of later levels that you will encounter. With this world, I am slowly introducing these aspects.

[rainbowmon]

you will eventually need all of them to solve the final level of the quest.

So far I solved the final levels despite avoiding to read labels - let's see how it goes in future...

So long as it is a pure Wonderland challenge I should be able to solve it, but then in the past I made two levels (http://pcpuzzle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=365917 and http://pcpuzzle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=109287) that where all about solving logical and mathematical puzzles, where Wonderland just happened to be the platform. Is this the case here?

You are exactly right. The Blitzkrieg Clues are the codes to the combination that will need to be solved at the end.

So far, you have played a purely Wonderland-style set of levels. As we progress on, things will get a lot more complicated. Riddles, mathematical problems, clues - these are all aspects of later levels that you will encounter. With this world, I am slowly introducing these aspects.

*screams in fear of what I've gotten myself into* Oh. Oh no. ...Well. Hopefully I'll be able to figure those out if and when I get to them, because I'm not the greatest at solving the more cryptic side of the puzzle spectrum (for lack of a better way to put it), as evidence by my inability to even remotely figure out how to start on solving WSW's secret ending.

[Amnon]

Well I definitely won't be looking forward to have to play all these levels again.

I also don't want read labels as I go so that I won't inadvertently find local (same level) hints, so I solve it all myself. Unfortunately one cannot tell whether a label is an important future hint before actually reading it.

Too bad indeed. Either you should post all labels/hints here, or I will just need to use the editor for reading all labels after playing the levels.

[Tech Warrior]

*screams in fear of what I've gotten myself into* Oh. Oh no. ...Well. Hopefully I'll be able to figure those out if and when I get to them, because I'm not the greatest at solving the more cryptic side of the puzzle spectrum (for lack of a better way to put it), as evidence by my inability to even remotely figure out how to start on solving WSW's secret ending.

BWAHAHA!! (Peegue believes in you)

You're going to encounter every type of level in this quest, but my advice generally speaking is: take it slow. Especially once we get to the Temple of Elements. You'll need to study that place inside and out in order to get out of it, and it's where the cryptic side of these levels will begin to show itself. Once that happens, well, like you said - you'll already be knees deep.

This quest was designed to keep you busy, for a while. Of course, I will eventually post all solutions in the 'level solutions' thread, for when you get stuck.

[Tech Warrior]

Well I definitely won't be looking forward to have to play all these levels again.

I also don't want read labels as I go so that I won't inadvertently find local (same level) hints, so I solve it all myself. Unfortunately one cannot tell whether a label is an important future hint before actually reading it.

Too bad indeed. Either you should post all labels/hints here, or I will just need to use the editor for reading all labels after playing the levels.

So, I will say this - you do not have to worry about same-level hints here. This quest doesn't feature those, unless it's in the logic/mathematical form (in which it is necessary to read to solve the level). When we get to the Temple of Elements, you will no longer have this choice. Signs are mostly used here to indicate story dialogue in either case.

All clues will eventually be released, but not until you need them.

[Amnon]

Anyway, I found the BLITZKRIEG clue by simply scanning the LVxx.LV6 files for plain text.

[Amnon]

you do not have to worry about same-level hints here. This quest doesn't feature those

Not so - I found for example the following in LV068:

"Ready for one last hurrah, Peegue?..."

Thankfully I did not read it, otherwise it would have been a spoiler.

[Tech Warrior]

you do not have to worry about same-level hints here. This quest doesn't feature those

Not so - I found for example the following in LV068:

"Ready for one last hurrah, Peegue?..."

Thankfully I did not read it, otherwise it would have been a spoiler.

That was not intended to be a spoiler, but it most certainly was an oversight. But I see what you are saying.

So I will review the remaining levels to look for these oversights in the dialogue. That way you won't have to worry about reading signs, which will be important to solving later puzzles and following the story.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

[Tech Warrior]

Okay, I am taking your concerns seriously, so here will be some changes going forward:

- All Level Notes on these posts will now be in white, so you can choose whether to enter the levels blindly or get the level descriptions (they aren't hints, but they give you info about the level). This way, you can still view the level names in advance.

- All signs within levels from here on out have been carefully reviewed. Signs will become integral to solving later puzzles, so now they will have two functions: (1) providing necessary clues, riddles, logical or numerical puzzles for future levels, as in the case of the Blitzkrieg Clues, or (2) advancing the dialogue of the story. If this dialogue may present an in-level hint that is purposeful, I will mark that level with an *asterisk. This should be a rare occurrence, and will not detract from the puzzle experience in any way (for example, if the purpose of the level is a tutorial, of which there is one such level later on). Otherwise, in-level clues will be similar to what you saw in Lv53 "The Keep", for instance - story elements will be essential to keep track of in order to solve later levels.

You will not be able to solve certain levels later in the quest without keeping track of the clues you will find prior. So, making these changes, I aim to encourage more exploration of the levels without sacrificing on the puzzle quality!

With that, I'm intentionally releasing the next world a week earlier than scheduled, so I can get your feedback on these changes before we enter the Temple of Elements. Let us enter "THE CAVES."



Difficulty: 5.5 (Intermediate)

You’re underneath the Snowy Mountains – a place you’ve been before – but, this time, you are traveling much deeper towards the Temple of Elements. These deeper caves are much more dangerous, as the sacred temple is quite heavily guarded. There might only be five levels in this small world, but all five are quite challenging. These are some of the trickier puzzles you have yet encountered, and they’ll give you a good idea of what’s to come following your visit to the temple! Things are only getting more complicated after this.

The Levels:

Lv70 “Cavern Quest” – Try to keep track of where everything is and where everything needs to go. Nothing like a little puzzle to get you familiar with the caves again. Although the bonus coins require an alternate solution.

Lv71 “Hero Squad” – Unique puzzle that requires precise timing. Good luck.

Lv72 “Triathlon” – An action level that literally becomes a race. So, I hope you have done your cardio training. It isn’t good to skip leg day.

Lv73 “Crystal Chasms” – This one is an advanced prism puzzle that utilizes some careful techniques. The arrangement of the puzzle is quite specific, so be cognizant of your equipment as you attempt to discern how to solve it!

Lv74 “Showcase” – The final test of the caves, one that dwarfs the triathlon. Any action level enthusiast will find a great challenge out of this one, as you’ll be constantly on the move. And try finding those bonus coins – they are probably exactly where you think they are. Have fun and get the hell out of here.

Download Notes:

Extract the 'world' folder into your Quest for the Five Elements directory.

There will be a longer wait for World 8 as it is still going through thorough testing. So use this time to catch up!

ENJOY!