Do you consider 'cheating' if I go back to the first teleporter in Pinnacle Catacombs using enderpearls? Because I did.
Basically I conquered half of the area where teleport 5 leads you and I died because of the OP Ghasts. I went back with a little amount of food and 1 sword, when I picked up my stuff, some of it was burned and lost (I lost food, one good bow, and mostly half of my inventory) so I raged a little bit (not too much) and used the enderpearls I had (luckily didn't lost them) to get to the start of the area. Sorry if it's cheating.
Well, I'm still in the Pinnacle Catacombs, I should finish it tomorrow and start with Int4. I love the aesthetics you used for that area. The broken chains hanging on the roof are great, the Charged Creepers are not a problem, Blasting Gargoyl are a little pain in you know where. I hate so much the Ghast you used xD.
At a certain point I had to rush because there was too much natural spawned mobs. Besides all of that the area is very good.
Progress: 8/16 0/4
Deaths: 4 (those damn Ghasts!)
Ender pearling in that situation isn't exactly recommended, but it isn't against the rules either. So you're fine.
Man, this is difficult. Am I the only one having trouble advancing in the Frozen Fault? (spiders and cavespiders in overwhelming numbers) I have no decent gear left and leather is sparse so I will have to wait for my wheat to grow and cows to breed to get even basic leather armor. I'm a bit frustrated at this point
When I finished that area in my alpha test, I actually made it a little more difficult because it was too easy at the time. It's definitely a possibility that I may have buffed it too much - I'll see what other people say about it and make those changes if necessary.
(Try to push on, though - after Frozen Fault there's a lot of supplies waiting for you.)
I just finished Frozen Fault - It's been my favorite area so far!
Here are my thoughts on the Frozen Fault and the rest of the map so far (I have white, orange, magenta, light blue, and lime wool)
I loved Frozen Fault, it was so immersive following in the footsteps of that unknown guy. The area was really long, but it gave you supplies to keep pushing forth so you didn't have to keep going back. I really related to the unknown character, having to keep pushing on, not knowing when the end might appear or when you might run out of supplies. Also, the void made the area tense and forced the player not to rush, but it didn't kill me because there were really no monsters there, and the melting ice added to the CTM theme of "Trying to ruin life for the player" without actually killing the player.
The other areas were cool too, I like the custom mob use with potions. My second favorite area was River Styx. I loved the mechanic of riverside combat and having the flow of the river seperate the 2 sides, to keep certain enemies at bay but forcing you to deal with skeletons. The only things I don't like about the map so far are
a. Too much void in my opinion, but it's not that bad.
b. The loot system isn't that great, but this is something I think other CTMs, ESPECIALLY Super Hostle, struggle with. I recommend this video () to learn how to better utilize loot. I feel like you're putting too much "Pointless and utilitarian" loot to fill up chests. I would appreciate it if all those stacks of coal in Frozen Fault were just as stacks, not single pieces. Overall though, the actual quality and placement of useful loot is fine.
I will be trooping on after I breed some cows. Will be nice with the leather and meat anyway. Will let you know how I do I may try a different strategy. I think I let them build up too much earlier. I tried running in fast to light up, but they spawned faster than I could get in and back out. Tried cryboxing in the tunnel but those buggers are fast! Hopefully the few torches I managed to place make a difference.
My general strategy was to shoot the mobs already there with my bow (as not to activate the spawners), charge in and light stuff up, then run back and retreat far enough so the spawners would stop. I'd let the mobs chase me out of the room and I'd kill them. Then I would charge in again and break all the spawners, going for the potion mob spawners first. Hope this helps!
I came back to Pinnacle Catacombs and... ¡SUCCESS! I got the light gray wool and a decent amount of iron. The area has no negative points, it's pretty good.
~ INTERSECTION 4 ~
I entered in Pneumatica and it was not what I tought it will be. I was expecting like a place with a complex and machines. The aesthetics where not so good as other areas but is a little bit acceptable. You should put more decoration on the paths because it's just coloured clay.
I died two times. The first death was kind of funny, a spider knocked me off the bridge and I enderpearl'd to the roof, I fell into another bridge and died. When I got back to get my stuff IT WAS ALL IN A BRIDGE, I lost anything.
The second death was the essence of the area, do not remember how but I fell into the void. I was kind of sad because I was not going to go trough the whole area, I knew I was going to die so I went through the 'non-fun path' I bridged to the wool.
When I was going back to the intersection I wanted to speed things a little bit with one of the punch bows, I fell down the intersection and died again xD.
So, Projectile Haven... I hate skeletons. You should remove the blazes in that area because they burn the whole forest, you can do that or turning off fire spread. I'm enjoying a lot the map and I'm going to replay it when the final version is out.
All areas before Pinnacle Catacombs was so balanced, but from this area began... I think need add Enchantment table in Purple or Cyan Wool, because in Green wool this is so... Also need add some diamond armor in random loot... About areas: so awesome caverns and etc, but from Pinnacle begans so big areas...
All areas before Pinnacle Catacombs was so balanced, but from this area began... I think need add Enchantment table in Purple or Cyan Wool, because in Green wool this is so... Also need add some diamond armor in random loot... About areas: so awesome caverns and etc, but from Pinnacle begans so big areas...
Thanks for the feedback, and congrats on the being the first people to beat the map (or at least show proof of doing so). The enchant table is something I've been debating about since the alpha test; I think I may move it to Projectile Haven (purple) in order to make Throne of Ashes and the I5 areas a little less taxing on the player's resources.
Well, made some fairly significant progress over the last few days. Here's some feedback!
Intersection 1: I admit, I've generally found this intersection to feel largely forgettable. White Wool was extremely simple to complete, and the River Styx zone really didn't have anything that felt special about it. I wish it did too, as the concept has a lot of interesting ideas, but sadly I feel like it was just a fairly mob-spammy area with water running down the middle. The last area I admittedly don't remember much of. Styx also introduced a trend I've noticed you doing that I sort of wish you didn't do - interrupt the area with the path to the next intersection in it with that path. It absolutely tanked my immersion on Styx, Frozen Fault (especially this one), and Pinnacle Cavern, as with the last two especially, I felt like I was moving along the path, when suddenly I could have a break, restock, and just chill out when I had a nearly done area right next to me. I'll get into this more later when I discuss I2 though.
Aesthetically, nothing really stood out for me in I1. Relatively simple builds that all felt rather short as well. Most of these areas were ones I could just sprint through. Story-wise as well, I feel like the delivery could be done a bit better. A better focus on the paint itself and the more mysticism aspect could help interest your reader a bit more. The "Gods'" voices feel really oddly chummy with you, could be written in a more distinct way. The Titans are much of the same too, I feel like they could be written in a way that doesn't feel like they're trying to throw exposition at us, while still delivering an interesting core story.
Intersection 2: This one was a bit of a mixed bag. The Mine zone was a total pushover, fun path or not, and the warzone was just strange. You overuse Ghasts and Blazes a bit much in this one, and I started coming across the obnoxiously broken water bucket bugs in this zone. That bit isn't your fault, and I dunno what's happening. Water gets "picked up" but actually doesn't, and totally screw you over a lot. Anywho, the real highlight of this intersection is the Frozen Fault zone. This is the first area in the map that really caught my attention. It has an interesting storyline, some interesting mobs, really solid area design, and some overall fun gameplay. My biggest complaint though is your intersection placement. It took me very abruptly out of the immersion I was feeling with this area before dumping me unceremoniously back into the zone after I'd checked it out. Positioning could have been a billion times better, to be closer to or even beyond the wool itself.
Aesthetically, this intersection improved over I1 somewhat, but if Frozen Fault hadn't been in this one, it might have been a bit rough. Areas still felt super short, so Fault was a nice change of pace. The story of the farmer was interesting to follow, and I enjoyed it for what it was. The Gods story felt pretty much forgettable though.
Intersection 3: The Monument is gorgeous. Not much else I can say about that, but the base is well organized, the space is nice, and the monument zone itself is just beautiful. The transitions could be a bit better though. The areas on the other hand are a bit more middling. I really didn't like the first area, with the different sphere-thingies. I feel like it could have been put together in a less awkward way. The areas didn't feel like a series of biospheres, but instead awkward caverns that clashed quickly. Creating proper transitions between them would have been a lot better in my opinion. Pinnacle Caverns is a bit better, though as the first "majorly large" zone, it feels rather aimless. I spent a lot of time just roving about dealing with the way overpowered Blaze Spawners (which need to not spawn 4 at a time that quickly!) that were used a bit too liberally. I'd also appreciate some additional marking of the fact it's a two-wool zone, as I'd gotten Grey and found I4 before I realized Light Grey wasn't marked at the intersection. I'm currently hunting Light Grey and will get back with further feedback as I can offer it.
Aesthetically, I like Pinnacle, but the sphere zone needs some attention and love. Story-wise things seem to be trying to get interesting, but need more of a driving force behind them. The Gods are so brief that we don't get much of a feel for the world. Frozen Fault was the first time we got an idea of people living in this world, and flavor like that is feeling very needed.
A few overall things too - remove your name from the books! It makes it so weird to see your MC user name below them, when it's incredibly easy to take it out/rename it with an NBTEditor! Would help it feel a bit more "professional" too. Also, consider looking towards giving a bit more food early on, as it's well balanced later, but 1.7 and 1.8 just hate hunger as a whole.
Well, made some fairly significant progress over the last few days. Here's some feedback!
Intersection 1: I admit, I've generally found this intersection to feel largely forgettable. White Wool was extremely simple to complete, and the River Styx zone really didn't have anything that felt special about it. I wish it did too, as the concept has a lot of interesting ideas, but sadly I feel like it was just a fairly mob-spammy area with water running down the middle. The last area I admittedly don't remember much of. Styx also introduced a trend I've noticed you doing that I sort of wish you didn't do - interrupt the area with the path to the next intersection in it with that path. It absolutely tanked my immersion on Styx, Frozen Fault (especially this one), and Pinnacle Cavern, as with the last two especially, I felt like I was moving along the path, when suddenly I could have a break, restock, and just chill out when I had a nearly done area right next to me. I'll get into this more later when I discuss I2 though.
Aesthetically, nothing really stood out for me in I1. Relatively simple builds that all felt rather short as well. Most of these areas were ones I could just sprint through. Story-wise as well, I feel like the delivery could be done a bit better. A better focus on the paint itself and the more mysticism aspect could help interest your reader a bit more. The "Gods'" voices feel really oddly chummy with you, could be written in a more distinct way. The Titans are much of the same too, I feel like they could be written in a way that doesn't feel like they're trying to throw exposition at us, while still delivering an interesting core story.
Intersection 2: This one was a bit of a mixed bag. The Mine zone was a total pushover, fun path or not, and the warzone was just strange. You overuse Ghasts and Blazes a bit much in this one, and I started coming across the obnoxiously broken water bucket bugs in this zone. That bit isn't your fault, and I dunno what's happening. Water gets "picked up" but actually doesn't, and totally screw you over a lot. Anywho, the real highlight of this intersection is the Frozen Fault zone. This is the first area in the map that really caught my attention. It has an interesting storyline, some interesting mobs, really solid area design, and some overall fun gameplay. My biggest complaint though is your intersection placement. It took me very abruptly out of the immersion I was feeling with this area before dumping me unceremoniously back into the zone after I'd checked it out. Positioning could have been a billion times better, to be closer to or even beyond the wool itself.
Aesthetically, this intersection improved over I1 somewhat, but if Frozen Fault hadn't been in this one, it might have been a bit rough. Areas still felt super short, so Fault was a nice change of pace. The story of the farmer was interesting to follow, and I enjoyed it for what it was. The Gods story felt pretty much forgettable though.
Intersection 3: The Monument is gorgeous. Not much else I can say about that, but the base is well organized, the space is nice, and the monument zone itself is just beautiful. The transitions could be a bit better though. The areas on the other hand are a bit more middling. I really didn't like the first area, with the different sphere-thingies. I feel like it could have been put together in a less awkward way. The areas didn't feel like a series of biospheres, but instead awkward caverns that clashed quickly. Creating proper transitions between them would have been a lot better in my opinion. Pinnacle Caverns is a bit better, though as the first "majorly large" zone, it feels rather aimless. I spent a lot of time just roving about dealing with the way overpowered Blaze Spawners (which need to not spawn 4 at a time that quickly!) that were used a bit too liberally. I'd also appreciate some additional marking of the fact it's a two-wool zone, as I'd gotten Grey and found I4 before I realized Light Grey wasn't marked at the intersection. I'm currently hunting Light Grey and will get back with further feedback as I can offer it.
Aesthetically, I like Pinnacle, but the sphere zone needs some attention and love. Story-wise things seem to be trying to get interesting, but need more of a driving force behind them. The Gods are so brief that we don't get much of a feel for the world. Frozen Fault was the first time we got an idea of people living in this world, and flavor like that is feeling very needed.
A few overall things too - remove your name from the books! It makes it so weird to see your MC user name below them, when it's incredibly easy to take it out/rename it with an NBTEditor! Would help it feel a bit more "professional" too. Also, consider looking towards giving a bit more food early on, as it's well balanced later, but 1.7 and 1.8 just hate hunger as a whole.
Well, since one of my hobby is to remind people of their posts milestones, it is my duty to tell you that this is your 4000th post
Thanks for the feedback. I definitely understand where you're coming from with the intersection paths breaking immersion, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to change that without altering the fundamental layout of many parts of the map (not to mention that one of the main points in Frozen Fault's storyline is the fact that the farmer continues on despite passing the exit). If anything, that's something I'll try and do better at in future maps. I'll look into adding a bit more depth to the storyline as well. What programs or filters exist that you would recommend using for changing the names on the books? I've just realized I don't currently have the appropriate tools to do that.
Thanks for taking the time to write out your feedback! I'll definitely take all that into account. Many of your ideas contrast a little with Fang's, but I'll wait for more feedback from other people and try to find some compromises. And yeah, basic supplies (especially food) is something I plan on increasing in the earlier stages of the map to make inventory wipes less punishing.
Thanks for the feedback. I definitely understand where you're coming from with the intersection paths breaking immersion, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to change that without altering the fundamental layout of many parts of the map (not to mention that one of the main points in Frozen Fault's storyline is the fact that the farmer continues on despite passing the exit). If anything, that's something I'll try and do better at in future maps. I'll look into adding a bit more depth to the storyline as well. What programs or filters exist that you would recommend using for changing the names on the books? I've just realized I don't currently have the appropriate tools to do that.
So I picked back up with the Light Grey Wool. Generally loved it. Gameplay was enjoyable, it wasn't mob spammy, and while the design was simple, it was good. The ending was a bit intense, but as a whole I really enjoyed it. The loot was also the first real step forward, finally granting Iron, which was nice to be able to work with, even without Enchanting. From there, I went ahead and moved on back to Intersection 4.
Before I talk about I4, I would like to mention that the loot work on this map is generally excellent. The design of it is strong, and the use of items is well done too. I like how varied everything is, but items aren't just one and done items, and can be found in a few places. The potions are also very nice, and provide good effects while not lasting super-OP long. Anyway, let's move on.
Intersection 4: The first intersection where I legitimately felt you knew where you were going with the map's design. While the earlier intersections had their highlights, they didn't feel as tight as the following two, with some weaker or forgettable zones. From I4 onward, each area really created a unique experience and did a lot to capture a player's attention. The intersection itself was just a bit of a weird color-vomit, but it was pretty enough to look at. The areas were the fun parts though. The first was a classic void-area, though the spawner placement could have been done a bit better. It was still a fun trawl through an almost forgotten area style, and I really enjoyed it. The second, the Projectile Haven zone had a lot of potential. I chatted with ya about this in Skype, but I feel like this area without Witches would be basically the perfect area. It provides a lot of challenge and really encourages using the "fun path". I would also consider bedrocking the 2nd deep set of rock in the walls for the wool zone though. It'd be very easy to cheese.
Then comes the masterpiece of this intersection. It seems to me like the "lore areas" early on were really the best zones in the map. This continues here with a stellar crawl through a massive graveyard. Lots of cool and unique mobs (BUT SO MANY BLAZES UGH) in a well designed zone both interestingly and aesthetically. A Mosquito was of course the highlight of the zone, as was falling into that fabled hole. As was the janitor, which I raised well, into a fearsome beast
Intersection five: This whole intersection was generally just great. The Brown Wool surprised me as being a legitimate zone, and by and large was super fun. It was large, and had a lot to do in it, sticking with a very river-like theme throughout, and being almost what I had expected Styx to be like. It even ended very well, and had great loot distribution. Green Wool was my favorite area aesthetically, but it's gonna need some balance work. Pigmen are beyond broken in this area. Through highly enchanted Iron Armor, I was getting hit for 3+ hearts by each pigman. With their added reach and the baby-men's speed, progressing through this area was a total nightmare. Cut down on how many each spawner can spawn, or even just swap them out for zombies. This area really reminded me of why I've stopped using Pigmen in most of my designs. They seem near impossible to balance in a way that seems fair. Ignoring them though, this area was a lot of fun, and felt very well designed!
Red Wool was an odd beast. The outside of the tower was entirely unprotected, ignoring a few easily dispatched Ghast spawners, which meant this area almost encouraged cheesing. This is another one of those moments where I feel like you really should provide some difficulty on the outside to encourage the player to climb the inside of the tower, as difficult as it is. Additionally, I'd make the diamonds a little more noticable. I played on a fairly small render distance, due to a bad computer being used, and as such missed them until I hit the Black Wool's warning and realized I should have received diamonds.
And now, Black Wool. This was the moment where your story really came together in a way that felt legitimized. Good work on this here. The area itself though was a mixed bag. Parts of it were absurdly mob-spammy, and just encouraged rushing as fast as possible through (which I totally did, btw). Other parts were super cool and provided a lot of fun tactical movement (see the castle bit). I do wish there hadn't been two void-rush segments though. They felt really bad when each were split by a relatively fine bit beforehand, and I'd had a lot higher hopes for the leadup to the Titan's Canvas. The loot in the zone was surprisingly poor as well. Cookies and Webs, alongside some XP bottles were all I was really finding in a few of them, which was shocking.
Otherwise, the map ended really well. The choice at the end was very interesting, and I circled back to check out the Titan's ending as well, even though I did select the "good" ending for myself.
Overall, I found the map to be a generally pleasant experience, which rocked up to an exciting and well designed map with those last two intersections. If I were to arbitrarily rate it out of 10, I'd give a solid 8!
Pros:
- Excellent ending design and aesthetics. Intersections 4+5 absolutely shone, and a few key early areas also foreshadowed the direction the map would take.
- A rich and interesting custom loot/potion system that provided a lot of unique gameplay.
- A story that ended with a bang and became fairly fun to follow come the twist.
- Solid aesthetics.
Cons:
- A few areas boiled down to being very mob-spammy
- Weaker early zones, that were extremely short, and not very interesting as a whole, almost feeling forgettable.
- The story feels almost aimless early on.
I'm glad to have finally gotten to play this though, and really look forward to the next map!
Thanks so much for your in-depth feedback throughout the map and that chat we had on Skype. I'll definitely make sure to act on all of these comments when I update the map, and I'm glad that you enjoyed it!
Thanks so much for your in-depth feedback throughout the map and that chat we had on Skype. I'll definitely make sure to act on all of these comments when I update the map, and I'm glad that you enjoyed it!
Glad to help! Feel free to prod me if you want me to expand on anything I said. Thanks for making the map
I'm having trouble finding the wool in Pinnacle Cavern. I found intersection 4 and pinnacle catacombs, but I can't even see where the wool is from the path I went on (I kinda laddered up and went across the top because I have enough loot and didn't want to spend forever attacking every spawner I came across).
I'm not gonna say anything else yet
.
Ender pearling in that situation isn't exactly recommended, but it isn't against the rules either. So you're fine.
When I finished that area in my alpha test, I actually made it a little more difficult because it was too easy at the time. It's definitely a possibility that I may have buffed it too much - I'll see what other people say about it and make those changes if necessary.
(Try to push on, though - after Frozen Fault there's a lot of supplies waiting for you.)
Here are my thoughts on the Frozen Fault and the rest of the map so far (I have white, orange, magenta, light blue, and lime wool)
I loved Frozen Fault, it was so immersive following in the footsteps of that unknown guy. The area was really long, but it gave you supplies to keep pushing forth so you didn't have to keep going back. I really related to the unknown character, having to keep pushing on, not knowing when the end might appear or when you might run out of supplies. Also, the void made the area tense and forced the player not to rush, but it didn't kill me because there were really no monsters there, and the melting ice added to the CTM theme of "Trying to ruin life for the player" without actually killing the player.
The other areas were cool too, I like the custom mob use with potions. My second favorite area was River Styx. I loved the mechanic of riverside combat and having the flow of the river seperate the 2 sides, to keep certain enemies at bay but forcing you to deal with skeletons. The only things I don't like about the map so far are
a. Too much void in my opinion, but it's not that bad.
b. The loot system isn't that great, but this is something I think other CTMs, ESPECIALLY Super Hostle, struggle with. I recommend this video () to learn how to better utilize loot. I feel like you're putting too much "Pointless and utilitarian" loot to fill up chests. I would appreciate it if all those stacks of coal in Frozen Fault were just as stacks, not single pieces. Overall though, the actual quality and placement of useful loot is fine.
My general strategy was to shoot the mobs already there with my bow (as not to activate the spawners), charge in and light stuff up, then run back and retreat far enough so the spawners would stop. I'd let the mobs chase me out of the room and I'd kill them. Then I would charge in again and break all the spawners, going for the potion mob spawners first. Hope this helps!
~ INTERSECTION 4 ~
I entered in Pneumatica and it was not what I tought it will be. I was expecting like a place with a complex and machines. The aesthetics where not so good as other areas but is a little bit acceptable. You should put more decoration on the paths because it's just coloured clay.
I died two times. The first death was kind of funny, a spider knocked me off the bridge and I enderpearl'd to the roof, I fell into another bridge and died. When I got back to get my stuff IT WAS ALL IN A BRIDGE, I lost anything.
The second death was the essence of the area, do not remember how but I fell into the void. I was kind of sad because I was not going to go trough the whole area, I knew I was going to die so I went through the 'non-fun path' I bridged to the wool.
When I was going back to the intersection I wanted to speed things a little bit with one of the punch bows, I fell down the intersection and died again xD.
So, Projectile Haven... I hate skeletons. You should remove the blazes in that area because they burn the whole forest, you can do that or turning off fire spread. I'm enjoying a lot the map and I'm going to replay it when the final version is out.
Progress: 10/16 1/4
Deaths: 7
All areas before Pinnacle Catacombs was so balanced, but from this area began... I think need add Enchantment table in Purple or Cyan Wool, because in Green wool this is so... Also need add some diamond armor in random loot... About areas: so awesome caverns and etc, but from Pinnacle begans so big areas...
Thanks for the feedback, and congrats on the being the first people to beat the map (or at least show proof of doing so). The enchant table is something I've been debating about since the alpha test; I think I may move it to Projectile Haven (purple) in order to make Throne of Ashes and the I5 areas a little less taxing on the player's resources.
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Retired StaffIntersection 1: I admit, I've generally found this intersection to feel largely forgettable. White Wool was extremely simple to complete, and the River Styx zone really didn't have anything that felt special about it. I wish it did too, as the concept has a lot of interesting ideas, but sadly I feel like it was just a fairly mob-spammy area with water running down the middle. The last area I admittedly don't remember much of. Styx also introduced a trend I've noticed you doing that I sort of wish you didn't do - interrupt the area with the path to the next intersection in it with that path. It absolutely tanked my immersion on Styx, Frozen Fault (especially this one), and Pinnacle Cavern, as with the last two especially, I felt like I was moving along the path, when suddenly I could have a break, restock, and just chill out when I had a nearly done area right next to me. I'll get into this more later when I discuss I2 though.
Aesthetically, nothing really stood out for me in I1. Relatively simple builds that all felt rather short as well. Most of these areas were ones I could just sprint through. Story-wise as well, I feel like the delivery could be done a bit better. A better focus on the paint itself and the more mysticism aspect could help interest your reader a bit more. The "Gods'" voices feel really oddly chummy with you, could be written in a more distinct way. The Titans are much of the same too, I feel like they could be written in a way that doesn't feel like they're trying to throw exposition at us, while still delivering an interesting core story.
Intersection 2: This one was a bit of a mixed bag. The Mine zone was a total pushover, fun path or not, and the warzone was just strange. You overuse Ghasts and Blazes a bit much in this one, and I started coming across the obnoxiously broken water bucket bugs in this zone. That bit isn't your fault, and I dunno what's happening. Water gets "picked up" but actually doesn't, and totally screw you over a lot. Anywho, the real highlight of this intersection is the Frozen Fault zone. This is the first area in the map that really caught my attention. It has an interesting storyline, some interesting mobs, really solid area design, and some overall fun gameplay. My biggest complaint though is your intersection placement. It took me very abruptly out of the immersion I was feeling with this area before dumping me unceremoniously back into the zone after I'd checked it out. Positioning could have been a billion times better, to be closer to or even beyond the wool itself.
Aesthetically, this intersection improved over I1 somewhat, but if Frozen Fault hadn't been in this one, it might have been a bit rough. Areas still felt super short, so Fault was a nice change of pace. The story of the farmer was interesting to follow, and I enjoyed it for what it was. The Gods story felt pretty much forgettable though.
Intersection 3: The Monument is gorgeous. Not much else I can say about that, but the base is well organized, the space is nice, and the monument zone itself is just beautiful. The transitions could be a bit better though. The areas on the other hand are a bit more middling. I really didn't like the first area, with the different sphere-thingies. I feel like it could have been put together in a less awkward way. The areas didn't feel like a series of biospheres, but instead awkward caverns that clashed quickly. Creating proper transitions between them would have been a lot better in my opinion. Pinnacle Caverns is a bit better, though as the first "majorly large" zone, it feels rather aimless. I spent a lot of time just roving about dealing with the way overpowered Blaze Spawners (which need to not spawn 4 at a time that quickly!) that were used a bit too liberally. I'd also appreciate some additional marking of the fact it's a two-wool zone, as I'd gotten Grey and found I4 before I realized Light Grey wasn't marked at the intersection. I'm currently hunting Light Grey and will get back with further feedback as I can offer it.
Aesthetically, I like Pinnacle, but the sphere zone needs some attention and love. Story-wise things seem to be trying to get interesting, but need more of a driving force behind them. The Gods are so brief that we don't get much of a feel for the world. Frozen Fault was the first time we got an idea of people living in this world, and flavor like that is feeling very needed.
A few overall things too - remove your name from the books! It makes it so weird to see your MC user name below them, when it's incredibly easy to take it out/rename it with an NBTEditor! Would help it feel a bit more "professional" too. Also, consider looking towards giving a bit more food early on, as it's well balanced later, but 1.7 and 1.8 just hate hunger as a whole.
Well, since one of my hobby is to remind people of their posts milestones, it is my duty to tell you that this is your 4000th post
K I'll leave now bai
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Retired StaffOdd, I hit 4k a few days ago. Must have posted on a few closed threads!
Thanks for the feedback. I definitely understand where you're coming from with the intersection paths breaking immersion, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to change that without altering the fundamental layout of many parts of the map (not to mention that one of the main points in Frozen Fault's storyline is the fact that the farmer continues on despite passing the exit). If anything, that's something I'll try and do better at in future maps. I'll look into adding a bit more depth to the storyline as well. What programs or filters exist that you would recommend using for changing the names on the books? I've just realized I don't currently have the appropriate tools to do that.
Thanks for taking the time to write out your feedback! I'll definitely take all that into account. Many of your ideas contrast a little with Fang's, but I'll wait for more feedback from other people and try to find some compromises. And yeah, basic supplies (especially food) is something I plan on increasing in the earlier stages of the map to make inventory wipes less punishing.
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Retired StaffNBTexplorer (http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/mapping-and-modding/minecraft-tools/1262665-nbtexplorer-nbt-editor-for-windows-and-mac) should still work. Just place the book in your inventory, close MC, and open the program. Then you go down to the player stuff and look for the inventory. Each book has a bunch of tags and you can change, or even delete, the author tag from there.
Alternatively, I believe All-U-Want works for that too. I can't quite confirm that, as I don't use it very often though.
On another note, I'm just about to get started on Throne of Ashes. Will toss some additional feedback your way when I'm done with that one!
I think that the Garden of Eden could use a few more spawners, I only had to face 1 zombie in the actual garden place.
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Retired StaffFeedback!
So I picked back up with the Light Grey Wool. Generally loved it. Gameplay was enjoyable, it wasn't mob spammy, and while the design was simple, it was good. The ending was a bit intense, but as a whole I really enjoyed it. The loot was also the first real step forward, finally granting Iron, which was nice to be able to work with, even without Enchanting. From there, I went ahead and moved on back to Intersection 4.
Before I talk about I4, I would like to mention that the loot work on this map is generally excellent. The design of it is strong, and the use of items is well done too. I like how varied everything is, but items aren't just one and done items, and can be found in a few places. The potions are also very nice, and provide good effects while not lasting super-OP long. Anyway, let's move on.
Intersection 4: The first intersection where I legitimately felt you knew where you were going with the map's design. While the earlier intersections had their highlights, they didn't feel as tight as the following two, with some weaker or forgettable zones. From I4 onward, each area really created a unique experience and did a lot to capture a player's attention. The intersection itself was just a bit of a weird color-vomit, but it was pretty enough to look at. The areas were the fun parts though. The first was a classic void-area, though the spawner placement could have been done a bit better. It was still a fun trawl through an almost forgotten area style, and I really enjoyed it. The second, the Projectile Haven zone had a lot of potential. I chatted with ya about this in Skype, but I feel like this area without Witches would be basically the perfect area. It provides a lot of challenge and really encourages using the "fun path". I would also consider bedrocking the 2nd deep set of rock in the walls for the wool zone though. It'd be very easy to cheese.
Then comes the masterpiece of this intersection. It seems to me like the "lore areas" early on were really the best zones in the map. This continues here with a stellar crawl through a massive graveyard. Lots of cool and unique mobs (BUT SO MANY BLAZES UGH) in a well designed zone both interestingly and aesthetically. A Mosquito was of course the highlight of the zone, as was falling into that fabled hole. As was the janitor, which I raised well, into a fearsome beast
Intersection five: This whole intersection was generally just great. The Brown Wool surprised me as being a legitimate zone, and by and large was super fun. It was large, and had a lot to do in it, sticking with a very river-like theme throughout, and being almost what I had expected Styx to be like. It even ended very well, and had great loot distribution. Green Wool was my favorite area aesthetically, but it's gonna need some balance work. Pigmen are beyond broken in this area. Through highly enchanted Iron Armor, I was getting hit for 3+ hearts by each pigman. With their added reach and the baby-men's speed, progressing through this area was a total nightmare. Cut down on how many each spawner can spawn, or even just swap them out for zombies. This area really reminded me of why I've stopped using Pigmen in most of my designs. They seem near impossible to balance in a way that seems fair. Ignoring them though, this area was a lot of fun, and felt very well designed!
Red Wool was an odd beast. The outside of the tower was entirely unprotected, ignoring a few easily dispatched Ghast spawners, which meant this area almost encouraged cheesing. This is another one of those moments where I feel like you really should provide some difficulty on the outside to encourage the player to climb the inside of the tower, as difficult as it is. Additionally, I'd make the diamonds a little more noticable. I played on a fairly small render distance, due to a bad computer being used, and as such missed them until I hit the Black Wool's warning and realized I should have received diamonds.
And now, Black Wool. This was the moment where your story really came together in a way that felt legitimized. Good work on this here. The area itself though was a mixed bag. Parts of it were absurdly mob-spammy, and just encouraged rushing as fast as possible through (which I totally did, btw). Other parts were super cool and provided a lot of fun tactical movement (see the castle bit). I do wish there hadn't been two void-rush segments though. They felt really bad when each were split by a relatively fine bit beforehand, and I'd had a lot higher hopes for the leadup to the Titan's Canvas. The loot in the zone was surprisingly poor as well. Cookies and Webs, alongside some XP bottles were all I was really finding in a few of them, which was shocking.
Otherwise, the map ended really well. The choice at the end was very interesting, and I circled back to check out the Titan's ending as well, even though I did select the "good" ending for myself.
Overall, I found the map to be a generally pleasant experience, which rocked up to an exciting and well designed map with those last two intersections. If I were to arbitrarily rate it out of 10, I'd give a solid 8!
Pros:
- Excellent ending design and aesthetics. Intersections 4+5 absolutely shone, and a few key early areas also foreshadowed the direction the map would take.
- A rich and interesting custom loot/potion system that provided a lot of unique gameplay.
- A story that ended with a bang and became fairly fun to follow come the twist.
- Solid aesthetics.
Cons:
- A few areas boiled down to being very mob-spammy
- Weaker early zones, that were extremely short, and not very interesting as a whole, almost feeling forgettable.
- The story feels almost aimless early on.
I'm glad to have finally gotten to play this though, and really look forward to the next map!
Thanks so much for your in-depth feedback throughout the map and that chat we had on Skype. I'll definitely make sure to act on all of these comments when I update the map, and I'm glad that you enjoyed it!
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Retired StaffGlad to help! Feel free to prod me if you want me to expand on anything I said. Thanks for making the map
Can someone give me a hint please??