I enjoyed this map, but it felt a little...bland. Everything is made from the same 3 or 4 blocks, and it got a little stale. I understand that this will be different with the texture pack, but it's still a little repetitive. In addition, I can see this being much better with a good gun mod for just spamming bullets(or arrows). Basically, the beta wasn't stunning, but I'm really looking forward to the final version, and I will definitely play through it when it comes out.
In 1.4, Mojang NEEDS to improve the Ender Dragon. The fight is so easy, you just shoot the ender crystals then easily kill the dragon. I thing the Ender Dragon needs to actually do some damage. Like, when its above half health, it shoots rounds of fire balls at you(the ones that blaze shoot that you can't hit back). When the dragon is between half health and one fourth of it's health, It would try to fly into you to knock you into the void. And when it's at below one fourth of its health it would fly in a circle above you and shoot a huge laser beam at you. Those are my thoughts, because the Ender Dragon fight is way too easy to be a final boss.
The problem is, they have to balance around vanilla minecraft and vanilla minecraft players. While a Enderdragon that did this would be a much harder and more interesting boss fight, most people also don't have SH map experience. So while to a SH veteran it might seem like a fair challenge, most vanilla minecraft players will believe it to be a impossible troll.
I've finally gotten far enough in Vechs' "GiftWarped" to post my rating.
Summary
Excellent CTM adaptation of the book, Gift, by Andi Buchanan. Great interpretation of the terrain and structures in the book, although I really wish there would have been more story references. That said, you don't need to read the book to enjoy this map at all. It's got an open-world feel with natural boundaries and path guidelines (e.g. roads/buildings). Traps and exploration rewards are cleverly built as well.
I've currently posted up to episode 24 of my play thru and there are plenty more queued for upload.
Click the link in my signature to see how the ratings are determined and how it compares to other CTM maps.
You can also follow my signature to my upcoming CTM map. It is an adaptation of the epic adventure map from Prof_Snape and iKonaKona, based on the TV Show, LOST.
The problem is, they have to balance around vanilla minecraft and vanilla minecraft players. While a Enderdragon that did this would be a much harder and more interesting boss fight, most people also don't have SH map experience. So while to a SH veteran it might seem like a fair challenge, most vanilla minecraft players will believe it to be a impossible troll.
Overall, vanilla minecraft is a really easy game. Once you get settled in and get iron armor, which doesn't take long, the rest of the game isn't that difficult. That's why there are challenges and the SH maps, and assorted difficult maps. I think it's false hope to expect the vanilla boss to be made more difficult. If you wanted to, you could add a bunch of spawners in with MCEdit, then it might be a little more difficult, but it's not going to be made part of vanilla.
In 1.4, Mojang NEEDS to improve the Ender Dragon. The fight is so easy, you just shoot the ender crystals then easily kill the dragon. I thing the Ender Dragon needs to actually do some damage. Like, when its above half health, it shoots rounds of fire balls at you(the ones that blaze shoot that you can't hit back). When the dragon is between half health and one fourth of it's health, It would try to fly into you to knock you into the void. And when it's at below one fourth of its health it would fly in a circle above you and shoot a huge laser beam at you. Those are my thoughts, because the Ender Dragon fight is way too easy to be a final boss.
I am hoping that they can improve its AI so it doesn't need to destroy all blocks except for endstone and obsidian.
I can't have been the only one to find these things utterly infuriating.
*eye twitch*
Oh, I remember them all too well.
*tries to rest out in the wilderness*
"You may not rest now, enemies are nearby."
*swears, runs for a little while longer, tries again*
"You may not rest now, enemies are nearby."
*turns around, five cliff racers behind me*
******* cliff racers. Not only did they move silently, but they had a huge aggro range, and they followed you for ages. I could probably lose most of the other wildlife if I kept moving, but cliff racers? Hell no >.>
:o! What's your next stop? 666? 777? 1337? Oh well, you'll get to whatever you want anyway, keep up the good youtube video's by the way
Er-hem, back on topic now.
I'm liking the idea of having a stronger Ender Dragon, but then there is that huge part of Minecrafters who aren't used to that. So, how about making him a bit stronger (like having those fireballs and laser beams) in medium difficulty and hard difficulty?
Overall, vanilla minecraft is a really easy game. Once you get settled in and get iron armor, which doesn't take long, the rest of the game isn't that difficult. That's why there are challenges and the SH maps, and assorted difficult maps. I think it's false hope to expect the vanilla boss to be made more difficult. If you wanted to, you could add a bunch of spawners in with MCEdit, then it might be a little more difficult, but it's not going to be made part of vanilla.
Yes, vanilla minecraft dungeons/strongholds don't pose very much of a threat. Mojang doesn't want to drive out the noobs because they consist of most of minecrafts players, so anyone with decent combat experience won't find the game very interesting.
what map should i play next? I've also completed Spellbound caves, i don't like the linear branching style as much but it is still good I'm thinking of doing another open-world style any suggestions on what to do next?
If I'm going to play one of the millions of adventure maps I'm going to do so somewhere else, if that is what you are aiming for. The feel is lifeless and dull. The city is just a bunch of hollowed spheres. You are forced linearly through the last part of the map. There's no creepiness unless you count about 50 cave spiders and zombies out of nowhere just ruining your day at every turn "scary". It just doesn't feel like an alien planet. More like just a random underground city with some bulbous thing pulsating from the perfectly round ceiling.
Now that we know what you DON'T like about it. Have any creative suggestions?
Er-hem, back on topic now.
I'm liking the idea of having a stronger Ender Dragon, but then there is that huge part of Minecrafters who aren't used to that. So, how about making him a bit stronger (like having those fireballs and laser beams) in medium difficulty and hard difficulty?
have you checked out the hardcore enderdragon mod? it makes it way more difficult. A guy on youtube, Setosorcerer, has a video about it you should check it out it makes it way harder (thats what she said :3)
I've been playing it for a little while today, and I highly suggest everyone to play it while listening to the Amnesia - The Dark Descent soundtrack. Really.
I'm not sure that was the initial mood Vechs and FrankenPC were aiming for, but the lonely, desolate tracks seem to fit perfectly well to the abandoned colony setting, and the fast paced/fear inducing tracks really gets your heart pumping in anxiousness.
I will be talking about the city here, since I still haven't gone to the staircase under the main tower.
This is my feedback as a player, and should be considered because, well... I'm a player.
I must say the beginning was a work of art, IMO. The thunderstorm, the flickering lights at the corridors, the wrecked elevator - it all gave me a feeling of "this used to be a nice place but something have gone really wrong here". I felt like walking around into a kind of a Jurassic Park: a place intended to be pretty and nice, but gradually as you get further, you can see signs of tragedy everywhere, rooms and systems that once looked and worked fine were now wrecked and taken by darkness. That really builds up the suspense, IMO.
The first swarm of mobs (first death) really scared me, too. It was like "Careful... Careful... I'm doing fine- WHAT THE HELL."
I like how we respawn at a completely different location, but it's a little confusing for now. I'll be waiting for the story bits, I'm sure it'll add a lot to the atmosphere.
This is my feedback a little more directed to the second part of the map and the mood you're trying to set, but I'm not sure it should be completely considered because 1)I don't know about the backstory AND 2) I'm not a map maker. But I'll do my best. :<
After descending from the huge nest to the city though, I feel there's something missing. It feels just like... An empty city. Okay, it is an empty city, but that is all.
Now, again - I don't know about the backstory yet. But I believe there could be added a few more elements to get the player thinking "What the hell happened here". Maybe some wrecked bridges from one building to another? And the little, round houses: maybe one of them filled with cobwebs, another one under constructionor partly demolished, or with the internal signs of an explosion.
As much as symmetry is comfortable, lack thereof is unsettling too.
Now, I see Vechs intended to cause anxiety, claustrophobia, fear, etc.
Well, anxiety was very much caused at the first part for me. Again, visual signs of tragedy, mind games and asymmetry are unsettling.
Claustrophobia is a little harder to achieve when it comes to Minecraft, specially when you're working on such big buildings with large rooms. Much of it feels very empty, specially the towers, which gets us far from feeling claustrophobic. Maybe I'll get to feel a little better when I go down that staircase.
Fear and panic-- Damn zombies trying to break the doors open. Dang it, that's scary.
...actually...
I have a suggestion for you. It might be stupid, but that's something I've been thinking about for a while.
Usually we feel panic when we're trying to avoid something - we know it's there, it's coming, you're trying desperately to avoid it. So far, my two deaths were very sudden. I'm walking around, walk into some building I shouldn't have entered, hear some hyperspawners and BAM I'm dead. I mean - I had no time to feel fear. It was just that initial jump and it was over.
Maybe you could set up traps or spawners with a delay; let the player walk deep into a building or corridor - one that is a dead end - and then spawn a swarm of mobs, but with a twist: they're stronger and slowed down.
A huge wave of cave spiders, coming from everywhere. Slowly, menacingly walking towards you, as if they knew you had nowhere to run. I would pretty much freak out.
Another suggestion is to tone down the resources. I quickly scavenged the city and soon I had five iron swords, four stacks of torches and over 30 golden apples.
I agree the golden apples are necessary if you want to give the player a chance to survive all that poison - but I think there are too many torches, for instance. Tone them down just a little bit - just enough for the player to go "Omg my torches are about to run out" at some point. Make them gasp, want to use them wisely, carefully, because it is a limited resource. That will also add to the scary atmosphere you're striving for, because it will end up contributing for the areas to be dark, or at least not completely lit up.
For now, that is all. I might be judging something wrong or over analysing, because I'm constantly listening to the Amnesia soundtrack, though.
I hope this feedback will be somehow useful. :3
Derp, had to correct this three or four times after I submitted. I think everything should be correct now.
This is brilliant. Exactly what I was looking for. As far as the soundtrack: Amnesia - The Dark Descent. I will definitely add that to the download list on the official release post. That's a great idea.
Also, you have a real insight into what's wrong with the city. It's too clean. It needs to be aged. Textures will help, but crumbling here and there will also help. Already, I've added some things to the city that will liven it up and increase the feeling of dread. One of the main themes I would like to pursue is organics. The beings who made the great city dealt with organics, DNA, chemistry. That feeling needs to be enhanced with a pinch of HR Geiger. Like parts of the city were GROWN, not built. I would like to add more potions and something that resembles a DNA lab. Rely less on hardware and more on what the ancients themselves would use.
Another goal of mine was to make it really interesting to just look around. See things you've never seen in a Minecraft map. Make it interesting, not just foreboding or purely goal oriented.
Thanks so much for the great feedback.
EDIT: for the record, I came up with this idea PRIOR to even hearing about Prometheus. I actually got the idea from several Dark Horse graphic novels from their Aliens line of books. If anything, Prometheus looked to me like it had taken the main idea from Dark Horse.
Hmmm....
Maybe Canopy Carnage? I played through that one on a server with my friend, really liked it :]
Paaaaaaaaage get!
i was thinking that one and maybe lethamyr but the download for lethamyr on easy isn't working right on Linux maybe i will try canopy carnage but it does say that its an old one maybe ill try fallen kingdom when its ready
Rather than add a mob to minecraft, I'd rather expand Endermen. There's a lot that could be done with them. Enderman Villages, for example. It would be way cooler to start relations with a town of Endermen than derping around with testificates.
i just opened the world for canopy carnage and have to wait for the world to convert to anvil . Vechs, you should convert the old maps that haven't been remade yet just so people don't have to wait for it to convert, more or less just to be considerate. just finished loading as i was typing, the third sign i read,"PROTIP: watch your step." nice, nice.
less than 5 min in i have to restart the map because i forgot i had timber mod installed XD
The problem is, they have to balance around vanilla minecraft and vanilla minecraft players. While a Enderdragon that did this would be a much harder and more interesting boss fight, most people also don't have SH map experience. So while to a SH veteran it might seem like a fair challenge, most vanilla minecraft players will believe it to be a impossible troll.
Technically exists.
Cliff racers on a Vechs map would be hell if they behaved like they did in Morrowind
Soon.
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Excellent CTM adaptation of the book, Gift, by Andi Buchanan. Great interpretation of the terrain and structures in the book, although I really wish there would have been more story references. That said, you don't need to read the book to enjoy this map at all. It's got an open-world feel with natural boundaries and path guidelines (e.g. roads/buildings). Traps and exploration rewards are cleverly built as well.
Total Rating: 18
Creativity - 3
Detail - 3
Experience - 4
Difficulty - 4
Progression - 4
I've currently posted up to episode 24 of my play thru and there are plenty more queued for upload.
Click the link in my signature to see how the ratings are determined and how it compares to other CTM maps.
You can also follow my signature to my upcoming CTM map. It is an adaptation of the epic adventure map from Prof_Snape and iKonaKona, based on the TV Show, LOST.
I am hoping that they can improve its AI so it doesn't need to destroy all blocks except for endstone and obsidian.
Hey guys.
Reputation not found.
:DD
Haha! Haha... ha...
uh...
*cough*
*eye twitch*
Oh, I remember them all too well.
*tries to rest out in the wilderness*
"You may not rest now, enemies are nearby."
*swears, runs for a little while longer, tries again*
"You may not rest now, enemies are nearby."
*turns around, five cliff racers behind me*
******* cliff racers. Not only did they move silently, but they had a huge aggro range, and they followed you for ages. I could probably lose most of the other wildlife if I kept moving, but cliff racers? Hell no >.>
:o! What's your next stop? 666? 777? 1337? Oh well, you'll get to whatever you want anyway, keep up the good youtube video's by the way
Er-hem, back on topic now.
I'm liking the idea of having a stronger Ender Dragon, but then there is that huge part of Minecrafters who aren't used to that. So, how about making him a bit stronger (like having those fireballs and laser beams) in medium difficulty and hard difficulty?
*caw caw*
You have contracted Rockjoint.
*caw caw*
You are encumbered and cannot move.
Yes, vanilla minecraft dungeons/strongholds don't pose very much of a threat. Mojang doesn't want to drive out the noobs because they consist of most of minecrafts players, so anyone with decent combat experience won't find the game very interesting.
Maybe Canopy Carnage? I played through that one on a server with my friend, really liked it :]
Paaaaaaaaage get!
Now that we know what you DON'T like about it. Have any creative suggestions?
This is brilliant. Exactly what I was looking for. As far as the soundtrack: Amnesia - The Dark Descent. I will definitely add that to the download list on the official release post. That's a great idea.
Also, you have a real insight into what's wrong with the city. It's too clean. It needs to be aged. Textures will help, but crumbling here and there will also help. Already, I've added some things to the city that will liven it up and increase the feeling of dread. One of the main themes I would like to pursue is organics. The beings who made the great city dealt with organics, DNA, chemistry. That feeling needs to be enhanced with a pinch of HR Geiger. Like parts of the city were GROWN, not built. I would like to add more potions and something that resembles a DNA lab. Rely less on hardware and more on what the ancients themselves would use.
Another goal of mine was to make it really interesting to just look around. See things you've never seen in a Minecraft map. Make it interesting, not just foreboding or purely goal oriented.
Thanks so much for the great feedback.
EDIT: for the record, I came up with this idea PRIOR to even hearing about Prometheus. I actually got the idea from several Dark Horse graphic novels from their Aliens line of books. If anything, Prometheus looked to me like it had taken the main idea from Dark Horse.
less than 5 min in i have to restart the map because i forgot i had timber mod installed XD