The Wonderland Board

Welcome to our first level creation competition!

To celebrate the incredible array of levels you have created for this forum, we have started a small level creation competition.

The Objective
The theme of this competition is "Small World". Levels have to have size 14x14, and should be as compactly designed as possible. How much puzzle, adventure, challenge, and fun can you make into a small space? Get editing, and find out!

What are we looking for?
Fun levels, 14x14 or smaller (i.e. by using walls or empty space). Levels will be judged on

(a) compactness (remember, "Small World"!),
How effective was your use of space? How many puzzles/challenges/etc were you able to pack into the level? Clearly you can create a tiny level (just Stinky and an exit), but you'll need to balance level size and level fun.

As a little bonus level, we've attached an example of a 14x14 level with lots of different puzzles (warning: it's kinda tough!).

(b) inventiveness,
Did you come up with new ideas to create puzzles or action challenges? Clever little ideas? New ways to combine gameplay elements?

(c) fun.
The most important part, is it fun to play? Note that level difficulty is not a factor. Both very easy and very hard levels can be a lot of fun to play - and that's the most important part.

The Procedure
We will accept level creations until Wednesday, February 4th, 2004. E-mail your *.lev level files as attachments to our "infos" e-mail address until that date. We will post all entries on February 5th, at which point you can play and comment on the entries. Winners will be selected by us on Wednesday, February 11th, 2004.

The Prizes
What do you mean... prizes? You mean the excitment of competition in itself is not enough??? Well, ok, we will award one Midnight Synergy game each to the three winning level designs. Choose from Wonderland, Return To Wonderland, Frazzled, Intensity XS, Intensity XS:ReCharge, or Colony (downloadable versions only) either for yourself, or as a present for somebody you know (after all, Valentine's Day is coming up right after!).

Rules, Rules, Rules... PLEASE READ!
1. Above all - this is primarily a competition for fun! No cheating, no copying, no other nastiness. Play nice!

2. One entry per person only! You are not allowed to submit more than one level... so test it carefully, and make it a good one!

3. You may not post the level for comments or feedback before the competition closes. We will post all entries on February 5th, and you can download/play/comment on all levels after that point.

4. While we will take all of your posted comments into account, the final decision on the three winning level designs will be that of Midnight Synergy only. No arguing!

5. Just in case (!), we must reserve the right to disqualify level entries if we feel it necessary.

6. All entries (unless disqualified for any reason) will be included in a competition level pack and also posted in the "Level Packs" forum. By submitting a level you agree that your level may be included.


Have fun, and good luck!!!

Just two additions:

1. Re: Inventiveness. While it is great to create a "Wonderland Style" homage to other puzzle game levels, any designs for the competition should be entirely your own.

2. Just in case, let me also state that we will not be responsible for any possible effect that this competition will have on you. If you have really hot coffee and you spill it in your lap because you got too excited about your level design, don't blame us.

ooooooo small world was nasty!!!!! but fun!!!

This is going to be a real treat. Plus we'll get alot of new boards to play!
Great idea, thank you.

Oh my gosh - gotta get serious now! I ALWAYS start out with a small level in mind and then get carried away, adding on (can't help it) until the level is BIG! I'm working on one right now that would've been done & uploaded if I hadn't started adding on! Guess if I want to enter this competition, I'm going to have to control myself!!!

So Small World can be completed? (Yeah, I know, of course it can, but so far I'm just going around in circles. ) Gee, this is a good one.

Wow, a competition! I can imagine how tough some of those little levels will be. May have to try and make one myself if I can just squeeze out a little time. Can't wait to see what everybody does with this!

This is GREAT!!! I can't wait. I may try my hand at this competition. I look forward to all the new levels. What exactly is the address we are supposed to submit it to and how do we do it (still new to this)?

SharonM wrote:This is GREAT!!! I can't wait. I may try my hand at this competition. I look forward to all the new levels. What exactly is the address we are supposed to submit it to and how do we do it (still new to this)?

Just use our regular infos@midnightsynergy(dot)com.

Remember not to post a level on the forum if you want it to be your competition entry. Gotta keep'em secret!

SharonM wrote:This is GREAT!!! I can't wait. I may try my hand at this competition.

I hope eveybody does a board.......like Stinky's dad said....it doesn't have to be hard, just fun. I know mine are all mostly fun, and not that hard..... it's not that I don't try......

Hi all,

This is a fantastic idea, I'm sure the competition will be tough.

There are so many of you have put in some great levels, I look forward to all the new ones.
How do you make out what everything is?????
I find the items are so small that you can't tell a kaboom from a coily!

My final question has to be:-
HOW DO WE SOLVE SMALL WORLD??????????????????????????????????

I can only get as far as the blue teleporter! HELP!

Davimad, Hi !!! It's a toughy, isn't it!!!!!
I'll give you a hint, then if you need more just ask......'cause it was soooo fun figuring it out I don't want to spoil it yet!!!!




HINT SPOIL>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.................




















Yes, you both need to go blue......then you both need to go green.....hmmmmm.....trial and error, stop and think.....when you get it you will go.....HEY NEAT!!!!!

Hey Carolyn,
I did it! HOORAY!

Thanks for the hint, I couldn't see beyond my nose.

It was great fun, I hope to see lots more like this ( without having to ask for help of course ) in the competition.

Kind regards

Maureen.

YEAH!!!!!

Pretty cool, huh???!!!!

I really did it by accident, I kept pushing and pushing and sliding and POP !!!! I thought, oooo that was cool!!!!

Great puzzle. HMMMM!!! Maybe this will get me into making a level. Now to find the tme between playing the rest of RTW, I finally made it to World 10!!!.

Are we going to get to vote on the winners???

Jen

Yeah, both go blue, both go green...got that part. So I got the coins, but then I couldn't get both Stinky and Loof to the exit. How about another teensy hint?

SPOILER
















Keep in mind what happens to colliding objects.

To the site admins:

I'm just wondering how careless mistakes would affect the way a level is judged. I know all of us playtested our levels before posting them, but inevitably every once in a while there'll be something small that got overlooked, causing an otherwise great level to, say, become impossible to get certain bonus coins, or too easily solvable (eg. forgot to gate off the exit in one overlooked direction).

I would hate to see an otherwise great level being judged down because of tiny, easily fixable mistakes like that. Just want to know how the judging process will react to and handle such problems. It seems fair if the level has too many such mistakes (which probably indicated that it was never playtested), or that it has major mistakes (eg. can't collect all rainbow coins, or the exit is completely unreachable), then it should be disqualified or down-graded. But that doesn't seem so fair if it was just one or two tiny, easily fixable mistake. Or do we simply have to playtest extra extra carefully before we submit?

LinkyNStoof wrote:To the site admins:
I'm just wondering how careless mistakes would affect the way a level is judged.

It really depends, I think your description really sums it up. One silly and easily fixable mistake would not have much of an impact, whereas a level that simply doesn't work would have little change of winning.

We will also very carefully look through all comments on this board once the levels are posted on February 5th... if we see that a level has a mistake but everyone still loves it, then it obviously will impact our decision for the better.

Just to let you know, the first entry in the competition arrived in my mailbox today.

Who's it from

What's it like

Shhhhhhhh..... it's a secret

You are rotten!

Go on, give us a hint.

Best of luck everyone.x

Less than 2 weeks left,
No pressure there.
Should I keep it plain and simple?
Will they really even care?

Will people think it's stupid?
Or will they cry, scream and shout?
Why is it when the pressure is on....
I'm having such a doubt.

Should Stinky be alone?
or should Loof be there, too?
So much planning......
So much to do.

Will there be any monsters?
like the ones in my head!!
Z Bots and Kaboom!s......
even sound asleep in bed.

I've gotta get it done,
No time left to play.
Competition deadline---
Less than 2 weeks away!!!!!!

Great poem eeyore..... I hope you are posting one for the contest, I might try but being my first attempt don't know if I dare do it for the contst but ya gotta start somewhere.

Jen

Oh yes, PLEASE enter. Mine isn't going to be anything earth shattering, mine are pretty simple, especially that small of one. I hope everyone enters, think of all the new levels we would have to play.........!!!!!

fun fun fun

more more more !!!


Jen, if it makes you feel more like entering----I've made 3 so far, none are hard----I just can't do it-----so I'm going to aim for just fun and cute. I think I should be designing childrens boards (but I'm sure most children do better than me) ha ha ha.

My entry will be flying thru cyberspace to Wonderland Central tomorrow.
I had hit a creative roadblock the last few days when all of a sudden- lightning struck.
I began to have visions (flashbacks, perhaps ) of a place so out of control that even Stinky and Loof have a hard time staying very long. A chaotic whirlwind that, if you have the fortitude to endure, will reward you with a pleasure beyond your wildest dreams.
You had better put on your rubber soled shoes because on February 5th-
LIGHTNING STRIKES!!!

eeyore31 wrote:Jen, if it makes you feel more like entering----I've made 3 so far, none are hard----I just can't do it-----so I'm going to aim for just fun and cute. I think I should be designing childrens boards (but I'm sure most children do better than me) ha ha ha.

Oh you're so modest. I've played through a few of your "A Week in Wonderland" levels and they're definitely fun to play! Nothing says a level has to be hard to be fun.

And let me add to that (repeat from above): Level of difficulty is not an issue... "FUN" is the keyword! And hey, just entering a competing is fun in itself - so don't worry if it's one of your first levels ever made. This community has been amazing (if I do say so myself) with supportive and positive feedback, so don't worry be happy have fun and get editing!

Hi Admin,

You mentioned that all the levels submitted will be put in a level pack (obviously in the level packs forum? maybe...) Will you be creating a separate forum for the competition so they don't get confused with the regular level submissions?

13 days & counting...

Robbie

As you can tell by some of my designs, I love fun and easy. I also really love challenges. For this competition, I have incorporated both into my design.
It is hair-pulling difficult for the first half of the level, and quite enjoyable for the second half.
Yes, it's a contest, but I doubt if anyone is taking this so seriously that it is a life-or-death matter. I have no illusions of winning, I just want to hear peoples comments, play a bunch of new levels, and have FUN!!!

Are we going to have to beat some of you into SUBMISSION

To join the fun and excitement of the competition, I too have finally designed and submitted a level for the competition--my very first!

I'm actually quite amazed at how well it turned out. I think it will be fun and at least somewhat challenging. Don't worry though, although it has a little bit of timing involved, much of it is more puzzle-oriented (but still not easy!--I think...), so those of you with slow fingers should be able to solve the level just fine. Of course, getting all the bonus coins is another matter...

That's all I'll say for now. Can't wait for 2/5 and see what everyone else came up with!

Oh Goody! - I love the levels where you have to solve a puzzle! That's one of the reasons I love eeyore's levels - they're always fun AND you have to use your brain a little to figure it out. I'm anxious for 2/5 also - this forum is really going to be HUMMING!! I hope all entries are posted without the author's name. (That way, if mine is really stupid, no one will know it's me until the contest is over!) And afterwards, it'll be fun to see if we guessed who made which level!

I agree, I think it should not be attached to our names.....until AFTER contest is over.