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

[Amnon]

Done them all - the first (#70) was a real gem!
The fourth (#74) is also very nice!

Regarding labels:

I think it is alright to place hints within the game itself, so long as one is warned first and does not need to go there,
so there could be a label in the entrance to some otherwise-unneeded alley saying "do not proceed - spoilers ahead".

[Tech Warrior]

Done them all - the first (#70) was a real gem!
The fourth (#74) is also very nice!

Regarding labels:

I think it is alright to place hints within the game itself, so long as one is warned first and does not need to go there,
so there could be a label in the entrance to some otherwise-unneeded alley saying "do not proceed - spoilers ahead".

Sweet, I will adopt this practice with the remaining levels. Maybe I can add "hint rooms" for the tougher ones.

"Cavern Quest" and "Crystal Chasms" are both my favorites as well - they are also new! Both were made last month - the other three are about nine years old now. We're almost out of the era of the ancient levels.

[rainbowmon]

Any tips for the end of "Pesky Neighbors?" I can't seem to pull it off without getting eaten by Munchers...

[Amnon]

Any tips for the end of "Pesky Neighbors?" I can't seem to pull it off without getting eaten by Munchers...

Yes: A few of the red ones can be killed by Loof with two rolling boulders, it helps!]
Another hint: do not fill that water-hole near the home!

[rainbowmon]

Thanks, Amnon - your hints didn't help directly, but the second one *DID* lead to me discovering a way to COMPLETELY CHEESE IT, which is good, because I don't think I could have done it otherwise.

In case you're wondering how: When freeing Loof, push the west boulder left and the south boulder down and next to the bonus coin, then switch to Stinky. Step off and immediately back on the conveyor button - the north boulder will roll down and into position to reach the water-blocked bonus coin, while the east boulder mysteriously remains intact, having not moved at all. Step on and off the conveyor button again, and the east boulder rolls left, stopping immediately under the indigo button. Get both Stinkers back over to the main area, push the boulder up, grab all but the rainbow coin nearest the goal with Loof and put him next to the leftmost exit gate, then grab the last one with Stinky and exit. In this way, the only Chompers you have to deal with are the ones freed after grabbing the last rainbow coin.

[Amnon]

Wow, I did not see this simple solution, perhaps because I did not expect the "mystery" to occur.

Here is the explanation of that mystery: The eastern boulder stayed in place because due to the game's internal order, the northern boulder has already started to move down and stood in its way!

[Tech Warrior]

Amnon, did you find a different solution than the one rainbowmon posted? I am intrigued to know, as that was the original intended solution as well!

[Amnon]

Amnon, did you find a different solution than the one rainbowmon posted?

Oh, nothing elegant, nothing I should be proud of, just first having Loof kill 4+1 red chompers with the two N+S boulders, then luring the yellow ones into the maze before escaping to help Stinky out, then Stinky goes out and easily dodges the remaining red chomper then takes the remaining coins from the maze, finally Loof runs inside and exits. Nothing too intelligent, just ordinary dodging.

[Tech Warrior]

OKAY, so I am preparing the next world for release, but in doing so, I will ask the following for all worlds going forward. Would you prefer:

(1) Waiting a bit longer to have the full world release, all levels together in one ZIP?

- OR -

(2) Releasing the levels one-at-a-time, which means you will get new levels more consistently, but you will not have them all neatly organized as we have been doing.

With either option, I will make sure you know which world/directory the levels should go, of course - and, if custom textures are involved, you will get those downloads with every level that requires them. Keep in mind also that the levels going forward will be getting exponentially more difficult, so the "one at a time" approach may prevent you from getting too behind. It will also help bring attention to the levels individually, which has been a challenge from the start of this. Effectively, unless you would prefer Option (1), I'm leaning towards Option (2).

Obviously, the "one world per week" format is over, since the last half of the quest is still far from complete. So, I will go with your pick on which you would prefer for release schedule. World 8 will still be fully released here in the next couple days.

[Amnon]

One level at a time is definitely healthier, considering the sleepless nights when a large bunch of levels arrives all at once, and the following disruption to all other commitments in life.

That said, nothing prevents having also a packed ZIP once a group is done - after all it is not gigabytes to download again.

[Tech Warrior]

FINALLY, we've reached the Temple of Elements.

Moving forward, levels will be released one at a time! This is because, as you have noticed, my playing pace is slowing down! So, I cannot yet complete the remaining levels as fast as I would like. Better not to rush them, in either case.

That said, welcome to the realm of psychological torture.



Difficulty: 6/10 (Advanced)

You’ve made it to the turning point in your quest – the sacred Temple of Elements. Congratulations! From here, things are going to get a little trickier. The levels in this world focus largely on conversation and clues. PAY ATTENTION. You’re about to be bombarded with new information, and you’ll need to find the best way to set yourself up for success as we move forward! You’d be smart to take notes – I’d even get a journal – especially with all the goodies you’ll find in “The Library.” You’ll learn everything about how to get to the remaining elements – the quest is about to get much more complex. Have fun!!

NOTES on conversation levels: To fully absorb the conversation levels (77-79), you'll swap back and forth between characters on each sign, starting with the character you start the level with. This will help you complete the conversations correctly.

The Levels:

The level notes in white text are not hints - but, you may wish to enter the levels blindly. These are simply descriptions of the levels, if you'd like a quick overview (though, any notes at all could be interpreted as hints).

Lv75 “Gateway to the Lost Temple” – Before you can enter the temple, you need to brace this puzzle which is a mix of action/puzzle elements. It’s certainly a challenging introduction of what is to come!

Lv76 “Entry to the Forbidden Gates” – Welcome to the Temple of Elements! Almost… first you need to get through the booby traps. Then you will find your first set of gate codes!

Lv77 “The Icebergs” – Conversation about a section of the Snowy Mountains that has remained hidden behind Crystal Lake. Three gate codes here.

Lv78 “The Crystal City” – Conversation about the third land – the Crystal City. Three gate codes here.

Lv79 “The 5th Dimension” – Conversation about the fourth land – the 5th dimension. Three more gate codes here.

Lv80 “The Library” – This is where a good chunk of gate codes and access clues exist, and it’s a level you may need to return to should you find these codes being necessary later on. I would write all the codes down somewhere and keep a log. Learn the language, because as you venture into further lands, you will definitely need some stuff in this temple to get you through specific puzzles. You might also need some to get through this one! Solving this puzzle is equivalent to solving a riddle.

Lv81 “To the Icebergs… Again!” – A straightforward action course, but it requires quick fingers.

Download Notes:

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

ENJOY!

[Amnon]

I just completed series 8:

All except "The Library" were not too difficult, but I could not complete Level 80 for a long time until I gave up
and looked at the editor.

What I found was that the given instructions were inaccurate or incorrect:

Gate 998, the correct sequence should be: D-D-L-R-R-D-R-R-U-U-D-R-L-D-D-L-D
Gate 0441, the message does not tell HOW MUCH to not rush - best give each step a full 2 seconds,
then it also does not inform that the blue button should be tapped a few times after this sequence.

With these corrections I was able to complete this level too.

[Tech Warrior]

I just completed series 8:

All except "The Library" were not too difficult, but I could not complete Level 80 for a long time until I gave up
and looked at the editor.

What I found was that the given instructions were inaccurate or incorrect:

Gate 998, the correct sequence should be: D-D-L-R-R-D-R-R-U-U-D-R-L-D-D-L-D
Gate 0441, the message does not tell HOW MUCH to not rush - best give each step a full 2 seconds,
then it also does not inform that the blue button should be tapped a few times after this sequence.

With these corrections I was able to complete this level too.

For 998 you are correct - that code is completely inaccurate. I spent too much deliberating all the codes for other levels that I forgot to fix the one in this level (it's an old sequence). Sorry that killed the experience for you. After all the testing that went into this one, I can't believe I missed that.
For 0441, I considered informing how long one should wait, and also whether the blue button notice should be given. I guess there is no other way to know.

I have hotfixed both (though 998 has an alternate accurate code that I had logged in my Word document) and re-uploaded the level (as well as updated the ZIP in the first post, which includes all eight worlds). All other codes in this world are accurate (because, I spent too much time on them).

Also, I'll ask you the following, and you tell me if it would improve or detract from your experience going forward: Would you prefer to know which levels have gate puzzles, or would you prefer not to know and encounter them on your own? You would not be told which gate codes are featured in the level, of course.

[Amnon]

The 0998 sequence is now correct
The 0441 message is still misleading because it reads as if the blue needs to be pressed before the red.
Either a colon after the word "blue", or better still move the first line to the end of the message.

I don't need to know which levels have gate puzzles - the way it is now seems to be OK, so long as the gates are properly numbered.

[Tech Warrior]

The 0998 sequence is now correct
The 0441 message is still misleading because it reads as if the blue needs to be pressed before the red.
Either a colon after the word "blue", or better still move the first line to the end of the message.

I don't need to know which levels have gate puzzles - the way it is now seems to be OK, so long as the gates are properly numbered.

Yes, now that I'll be releasing levels individually, it will be much easier for me to focus on one level at a time, which has been an issue as you see here. So, it will be easier to sufficiently test them (and to check the gate puzzles).

I see now how 0441 might still be misleading. I think I'll make the adjustment you suggested and reupload, when I get home. Hopefully, the other gate codes are not misleading, but I think I can remedy any issues with them in the levels that have them (so, for instance, attaching a "note" to the gate puzzle that may clear any potential confusion with the gate code).

EDIT: update added, only making the slight adjustment to gate code 0441. This will be the last revision of this world - any potential issues with gate codes will be resolved in the levels in which they are featured (though all gate puzzles have already been built).

[Amnon]

Still, for the bonus, I can't see how anyone would guess that they need to tap the blue button several times:

They could be lucky the first time they leave the button, but they might not.

[Tech Warrior]

Without sufficient players to test, it's honestly difficult for me to predict what players will and will not be able to solve (this is also why I find some levels very easy even though others may view them too hard, as I expect later on). I guess I'll just have to wait for more feedback to see if players generally can figure it out. Wordplay is really the toughest puzzle of them all.

Unfortunately, this community is not active enough for pre-release testing anymore. Hopefully that changes soon.

[Tech Warrior]

With the gate codes gathered and the roadmap set for how to get the remaining elements, it's time to head into new lands as we head back to the icebergs! Welcome to the final world in chapter two.



World Intro: The first world in this pack to feature custom textures, this world contains lots of different types of puzzles to get you acclimated to the second half of the quest. The levels in this world are considerably more difficult than pre-Temple of Elements. Up until this point, you have been enjoying familiar scenery that you know from WSW. But now, you’re hopping into new territory. Which means tougher puzzles. A consistent theme in these levels is Sokoban – they’re not all Sokoban puzzles, but you’ll see a few different types of them in here. You thought this quest was too easy, did you? That will change now, as you venture deep behind Crystal Lake and explore the iceberg cliffs.

Levels will now be released one at a time. This will both help me maintain a good focus on each level individually to prevent bugs, and it will allow each level to have their own time in the spotlight. I'm much more excited to introduce this latter half of the levels, post-temple, as these levels are all mostly new.

With that, let's start things off with a simple Sokoban puzzle behind Crystal Lake!

Lv82 - "Behind Crystal Lake" (6/10) - You’re back in the icebergs! Get introduced to new scenery as you explore this simple but devious little puzzle.

Download Notes:

Extract 'world' folder into your Quest for the Five Elements directory. Extract 'mtncave' to your CustomTextures directory. Each subsequent level will then be extracted into the world folder.

Enjoy!

[PhoenixBlaze]

got back in time to get all of this new content all at once- and i love it! the levels are pretty hard but that's good too. i like a challenge!

anyways, this level was pretty fun! the button puzzle was tricky but as soon as i figured it out i loved it.

now, how to fill in that gap next to the goal...

[Tech Warrior]

got back in time to get all of this new content all at once- and i love it! the levels are pretty hard but that's good too. i like a challenge!

anyways, this level was pretty fun! the button puzzle was tricky but as soon as i figured it out i loved it.

now, how to fill in that gap next to the goal...

Welcome back! Glad you are enjoying the series - despite the difficulty ratings, it is certainly catered to advanced players and generally is much harder than WSW. I haven't yet published the level solutions, but, you can just post here if you get stuck on any of the levels.

[Amnon]

Fun level, thanks!

[Tech Warrior]

Moving right along to the next level as we continue our exploration of the pristine iceberg cliffs! This level has been UPDATED to reflect a harder difficulty for this world.

Lv83 - "Plunging South" (7/10) - A tricky collaboration puzzle that will make you think you know what you're doing, except that really don't.

Download Notes:

Extract the level into your "WD09 - Back to the Icebergs" directory. Extract 'mtncave' to your CustomTextures directory if you haven't yet gotten it.

Enjoy!

[Amnon]

Yes, level #83 was trivial.

[Tech Warrior]

Haha, I knew you'd get that one right away. How unfair... to you.

So I'll give you something a little more challenging to solve.

Lv84 - "Cliffs" (7/10) - Things get more puzzling in this huge level with all kinds of puzzles to solve. It's basically a wide-open Sokoban puzzle, so I suggest taking your time trying to solve it.

Download Notes:

Extract the level into your "WD09 - Back to the Icebergs" directory. Extract 'mtncave' to your CustomTextures directory if you haven't yet gotten it.

Enjoy!

[PhoenixBlaze]

thanks for the fun levels!!

[Amnon]

So far I could only exit without the 4 bonus coins on the bottom-right.
There is more than one way to achieve this, but I would need another 2 boxes to exit with gold.

I will continue to work on this when I have more time and keep you informed...

[Tech Warrior]

Very good, I was hopeful this one would keep you busy for a hot minute.

[Tech Warrior]

This next level is probably one of the toughest puzzles so far in the quest... right up there with "The Library," if you can even solve that.

Lv85 - "Close Fitting" (7/10) - This is a challenging Sokoban puzzle - actually, it's several of them. The exact opposite of "Cliffs." Have fun!

Download Notes:

Extract the level into your "WD09 - Back to the Icebergs" directory. Extract 'mtncave' to your CustomTextures directory if you haven't yet gotten it.

Enjoy!

[Amnon]

Level 85 is not too bad.

However, I have spent several days on level 84 and therefore neglected other duties in my life.

I will now take a few days rest before continuing with Wonderland, at least with level 84.

[Tech Warrior]

Level 85 is not too bad.

However, I have spent several days on level 84 and therefore neglected other duties in my life.

I will now take a few days rest before continuing with Wonderland, at least with level 84.

Okay, I guess you are really good at Sokoban, because I always find Sokoban puzzles difficult! Even the simplest ones (I think Mark made a few really good ones, but it's been a while since I played them) throw me for a loop.

Regarding level 84, yes, a break is always best. I won't provide hints yet, because I don't think you need one. I'm optimistic that when returning to the puzzle with fresh eyes, you will see the element that you are missing.

Here's a nudge in regards to the way that you are thinking about the puzzle, which you probably already know: the 'straightforward' path where you are two boxes short is the expected solution. But to get gold, you need a completely different solution, which requires thinking about the puzzle in a very different, less straightforward, way.