The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Location:
Both here
Join Date:
1/5/2012
Posts:
245
Location:
and there at once.
Minecraft:
same as this one
Xbox:
Don't have one
PSN:
Don't want one
Member Details
Seems like I've been making a little bit of a name for myself by building maps. I've finished three maps and have one in alpha. My signature is getting rather crowded and is almost at the maximum. One more map and I won't be able to fit all the links. I've seen some people make a map warehouse thread like this, so I wanted to try making one. I also have thought about taking some reviews, so I'll do that here as well. All links here lead to the forum threads dedicated to that map unless otherwise noted.
Current maps:
An alpha of Sorcerer's Dawn, my most ambitious project. There haven't been many epic length adventure maps like the old Herobrine's Mansion/Return maps. So, I will attempt to rival the creations of the map making gods. I currently have an hour or so of content. It is based around choosing one of 5 spell casting classes and then upgrading their spells. Each class has 3 spells and 4 upgrade trees.
Momentum Parkour, a map about keeping up your speed. The longer you stay moving, the faster you end up going. Do you want to go as fast as possible to get the best time? Or do you want to take it a little slower to keep your momentum up?
I am working on a survival map inspired by the game Don't Starve. However, it is currently in early alpha and hasn't been released yet. I'm going to have some magic aspects, custom crafting, dungeons, and of course, INSANITY!
Dawn of Magic, a PVP arena for up to 7 players. It has 7 unique classes, each with 3 spells and a shared fireball spell. It has item drops and a bunch of maps as well.
Static Boost, a PVP arena where you launch lightning rods at your opponents. You need to carefully aim your lightning rods to trap your foes.
I play DTG2 (a forum game) and am quite an influential player there. The first link in my signature actually leads there. A while ago, I made my own sidequest and also made what I called "IRM" (in real Minecraft) events where I made and uploaded a map for people to play and how well they did would effect what happens in the forum game. There are 2 of them and are HIGHLY reference based, so I do not expect most people to understand their context. But here they are anyway. And to be honest, I'm not even sure if they still work. These links lead directly to the download.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/hrhx9c98vb1m3qo/IRM event 2.zip
And here's the second one. It is a never ending boss battle for a high score. There are several custom gear sets that I made for each player of my sidequest. Most people won't be able to access them unless you cheat.
Map Reviews
I'm not going to have all that much time for reviews with building my own maps and school. So, I might have to be rather choosy in which maps I play. But still, post your maps here to get my personal opinion. Maps should be playable in Minecraft 1.8 and there should be a link to the forum thread for it.
Submission Form:
Name of map: _______________ made by _________
Genre:
Estimated completion time:
Link to forum thread:
Quick description:
And now let me explain the rating system. I will rate based on 3 main categories, Tech, Design, and Execution. However, I will not give you a number. I feel like giving a number to a map dissolves the rating down into a binary good or bad. Maps don't work like that.
Tech:
This rating is based on your use of command blocks, redstone, and NBTdata to improve the map. I'll let off most minor bugs. Some things that add to this category are creative use of redstone, highly customized mobs/items, use of command blocks to add gameplay elements, and non vanilla boss fights. There isn't all that much else to say.
Design:
This rating is based on more aesthetic things, such as environment, building style, and story. I'm not the best at design, but I'll try.
Environment: This is for the large scale. Does the environment look nice? Can players see the flatland outside?
Building Style: This is how the individual buildings look. You want to have unique, special looking buildings. Building style and environment combine to form atheistic. This is basically how the entire world fits together.
Story: How the story is built. Of course, some maps are exempt. Is your story original? Is it told in an interesting way? Are there any holes in it?
Execution:
This is based on how well you use some of the principles of game design. I have a lot to say about it, and even while writing this I feel rather arrogant, but I think they work. The two main things I'll focus on are interest curves and choice. Also, general enjoyment goes in here.
Interest curves: An interest curve measures interest vs. time. An ideal interest curve has a spike at the very start (the hook), then goes back down. The interest then grows slowly, reaching a climax near the end. After that, the interest drops back down for a conclusion. Basically, this is the pacing of the map. Doesn't apply to minigames for the most part.
Choice: This is the fundamental thing that separates games from other forms of media. No matter how much you scream during that episode of Game of Thrones, that guy is still going to die. Now, I'm not referring to choice as in story choices. That goes under story. I'm referring to choices about how the player challenges the map. Good examples of choice involve villager shops, risk reward options, optional sidequests, etc. Bad examples are clueless choices (you have to pick a potion! One kills you! Have fun!) or choices where you can get the best of both worlds (That can be made into a puzzle though).
I think that's a decent rating system. I hope it sticks together.
By the way, you made a map for DTG2, shouldn't you post that?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Weird Things Mods Say When Booting
[Client thread/INFO] [TConstruct]: Natura, what are we going to do tomorrow night?
[Client thread/INFO] [Natura]: TConstruct, we're going to take over the world!
[Client thread/INFO] [inpure|core]: Beating Minecraft's resource loading system with a shovel. Please stand by...
[Client thread/INFO] [MagicBees]: Replacing stupid-block with 'Here, have some delicious textures' ItemBlock. This is 100% normal.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Location:
Both here
Join Date:
1/5/2012
Posts:
245
Location:
and there at once.
Minecraft:
same as this one
Xbox:
Don't have one
PSN:
Don't want one
Member Details
Well, I actually made 2, and I'm prouder of the second one. If you want me to, I can post those as I still have the files on my Mediafire. I didn't post them because they are very highly reference based and so the average person wouldn't understand them. But if you're looking for the files, I'll post them under a special section I suppose.
You should. It's a map, after all, even if it's reference-based.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Weird Things Mods Say When Booting
[Client thread/INFO] [TConstruct]: Natura, what are we going to do tomorrow night?
[Client thread/INFO] [Natura]: TConstruct, we're going to take over the world!
[Client thread/INFO] [inpure|core]: Beating Minecraft's resource loading system with a shovel. Please stand by...
[Client thread/INFO] [MagicBees]: Replacing stupid-block with 'Here, have some delicious textures' ItemBlock. This is 100% normal.
Name of map:Block Ninja made by Chronos02 / 8_4f73r5h0ck_8
Genre: Minigame / Challenge / Arcade
Estimated completion time: 5 minutes to until you get bored!
Link to forum thread: Ughhh... Its at the bottom of my signature, if that's okay
Quick description: Well, Block Ninja is pretty much Fruit ninja fully imported into Minecraft, with my very own additions, tweaks and changes. You must hit the flying blocks with snowballs to score. Miss a block? Lose a Life. Hit a TNT? Lose 50 Lives. There are many characterized blocks, blades and backgrounds so have fun with those. Block List: Diamonds, Emerald, Gold, Redstone, Obsidian (Stealth), Cake (Intelligence), Ice (Slowdown game), Note Blocks (potential bug that prevents note blocks from appearing), Glass (healer), TNT (PURE EVIL)
So this isnt the shortest description, but you should get the idea at least. Thanks for reading and I'm looking forward to a review!
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Location:
Both here
Join Date:
1/5/2012
Posts:
245
Location:
and there at once.
Minecraft:
same as this one
Xbox:
Don't have one
PSN:
Don't want one
Member Details
Alrighty. I played it for about 30 minutes and am ready to give my assessment. First ever review... here we go...
Tech: Amazing use of command blocks to determine when players miss a block. I can only take rough guesses at how it works. The rotating blocks to mark the options were cool... while they lasted. I think I broke them midway through. I couldn't understand how to work those options. Apart from that, not much to say here. Nothing ever seemed to glitch up on me. However, I did notice that later on, some of the blocks would fluctuate in speed. One wave would go really slowly then some more would fly up and down in about a second. I'm not sure if that's intentional, a glitch in the commands or just one of the quirks of Minecraft itself. Is that the effect of an ice block? If so, that's awesome. One small thing I would change though is make a clock that restores your hunger or just give out a bit of food. Normally, you're dying fast enough for it to not matter. But I almost ran out of hunger after quitting a few games prematurely.
Design: In terms of structures, this is of course, a very small map. So, I'll have to look elsewhere for this category. Great use of particles, and I don't mean the added stuff like toggle-able rain cloud. I liked how when the blocks reached their zenith they would flash with smoke. The fire on the bottom of the board might be a bit much though. The section of floor under the game board that's made out of barriers with void under it doesn't quite sit too well with me. But that's just a personal preference. I also found some random blocks of emerald (I think) lying around doing nothing.
Execution: Interest curves don't really apply to a randomly generated minigame like this. And most of the game is quick reaction based, so there isn't really a whole lot of choice. However, I do like how one wave is some TNT with a cake. That gives a little risk reward, but I decided it wasn't worth it. Which brings me to my next point. I feel TNT is too punishing. It really is the only reason I lost games. Most of the time, it wouldn't matter if missing a normal fruit lost me a life because I ended up hitting two TNTs and dying. I'd recommend maybe cutting the number of lives in half and then make TNT only take around 15 lives. But, that might cause some unforeseen problems. I'd also like it if the spot the player stands was moved a little closer to the board so that the snowballs reach their target faster. Although, that might cause some problems with the screen being too big.
And now, let me move on to my biggest problem with the map. Maybe I'm just being an idiot, but I feel that to the casual player, the map is not explained well enough. Sure, after pressing all the buttons and messing around, I figured it out, but some more signs would be nice. For example, I had no idea what to do with the three rotating blocks. They were labeled properly, but I didn't know how to use them. I tried walking up to the redstone block one and right clicked it, but that brought up a trade menu. I could take off the redstone block and use that for the manual start. I'd much rather have a plain old button labeled "start" or just a sign explaining how they work. I was also confused about the bonus blade thing up top. I assumed it was a permanent upgrade that you could buy with total score. But it actually is a temporary thing and you need to score over 50 in one round.
Overall: Usually, when an idea is "ported" over to Minecraft, the creator has to simplify it to work inside Minecraft's limitations. Instead, this map goes beyond its source material adding concepts the original didn't have (although granted, I haven't played Fruit Ninja in a LONG time...), such as custom backgrounds and more fruit types. The only major problem I can find with this is that it could explain options better. (although I do wonder how much difference there really is between the fruit types...)
One last note, there is a completely different way you could do the snowballs. Rather than have the player throw them, you could have it when the player holds the blade, it triggers an array of command blocks that launch a snowball in the direction the player is facing. I'm not sure if that would actually work well though.
You sure this works in 1.7? Without entity selectors? (spoiler, it doesn't)
Started off raining, turned off
Random item frames lying around
All the signs have quote marks in them. Not sure if thats my fault (Spoiler, it was)
A lot of the buttons weren't on the right block and just floating in midair. I am technically playing on 1.7.2 though... Is that it? Had to fix manually
Got stuck in change blade room
Realized I was an idiot and reloaded map in 1.8 instead. (I thought it was for 1.7 because it said version 1.7 on thread... oops...)
Much better. No rain, no item frames, looks much better. I was being stupid.
Cool rotatey block thingys... now how do they work...
Had to use manual start thing
Managed to miss just about everything
Got the hang of it eventually
Fell off platform and discovered that ended game
Ooohhh... you hit the option you want...
or wait... do you? why else str 2?
Had to use manual start again
Randomly blew up. Might have run out of lives. (yep, ran out of lives)
yay! rain cloud!
Still have no clue how the 3 main wither skull things work
And the blocks vanished... And I think I killed the villagers that were part of them...
I'm running out of hunger...
There sure are a lot of particle effects available
Some of these buttons could be labeled better
Can't see anything when I use any blade other than default
I couldn't seem to buy new blades. NVM, found out why, have to score >50 in one game, not total
Custom BGs cool. Maybe add creative mode option there?
I'll start trying to break the map...
Jumped into the board, managed to fall out of map. Go me!
interesting... if I dropped a snowball into board with Q, it takes 50 lives.
Seems like I've been making a little bit of a name for myself by building maps. I've finished three maps and have one in alpha. My signature is getting rather crowded and is almost at the maximum. One more map and I won't be able to fit all the links. I've seen some people make a map warehouse thread like this, so I wanted to try making one. I also have thought about taking some reviews, so I'll do that here as well. All links here lead to the forum threads dedicated to that map unless otherwise noted.
Current maps:
Static Boost, a PVP arena where you launch lightning rods at your opponents. You need to carefully aim your lightning rods to trap your foes.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/9vavrilwvvg79c3/IRM Event.zip
This is the first one. Its kinda an exploration parkour based thingy. Ice and water hurts to stand in, redstone blocks heal you.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/hrhx9c98vb1m3qo/IRM event 2.zip
And here's the second one. It is a never ending boss battle for a high score. There are several custom gear sets that I made for each player of my sidequest. Most people won't be able to access them unless you cheat.
Map Reviews
I'm not going to have all that much time for reviews with building my own maps and school. So, I might have to be rather choosy in which maps I play. But still, post your maps here to get my personal opinion. Maps should be playable in Minecraft 1.8 and there should be a link to the forum thread for it.
Submission Form:
Name of map: _______________ made by _________
Genre:
Estimated completion time:
Link to forum thread:
Quick description:
And now let me explain the rating system. I will rate based on 3 main categories, Tech, Design, and Execution. However, I will not give you a number. I feel like giving a number to a map dissolves the rating down into a binary good or bad. Maps don't work like that.
Tech:
Design:
Environment: This is for the large scale. Does the environment look nice? Can players see the flatland outside?
Building Style: This is how the individual buildings look. You want to have unique, special looking buildings. Building style and environment combine to form atheistic. This is basically how the entire world fits together.
Story: How the story is built. Of course, some maps are exempt. Is your story original? Is it told in an interesting way? Are there any holes in it?
Execution:
Interest curves: An interest curve measures interest vs. time. An ideal interest curve has a spike at the very start (the hook), then goes back down. The interest then grows slowly, reaching a climax near the end. After that, the interest drops back down for a conclusion. Basically, this is the pacing of the map. Doesn't apply to minigames for the most part.
Choice: This is the fundamental thing that separates games from other forms of media. No matter how much you scream during that episode of Game of Thrones, that guy is still going to die. Now, I'm not referring to choice as in story choices. That goes under story. I'm referring to choices about how the player challenges the map. Good examples of choice involve villager shops, risk reward options, optional sidequests, etc. Bad examples are clueless choices (you have to pick a potion! One kills you! Have fun!) or choices where you can get the best of both worlds (That can be made into a puzzle though).
I think that's a decent rating system. I hope it sticks together.
There's a difference between a hero and a champion. A champion overcomes threats, but a hero overcomes fears.
All my maps, click here.
Then there's also a Youtube channel I'm somewhat involved in.
By the way, you made a map for DTG2, shouldn't you post that?
[Client thread/INFO] [Natura]: TConstruct, we're going to take over the world!
Well, I actually made 2, and I'm prouder of the second one. If you want me to, I can post those as I still have the files on my Mediafire. I didn't post them because they are very highly reference based and so the average person wouldn't understand them. But if you're looking for the files, I'll post them under a special section I suppose.
There's a difference between a hero and a champion. A champion overcomes threats, but a hero overcomes fears.
All my maps, click here.
Then there's also a Youtube channel I'm somewhat involved in.
You should. It's a map, after all, even if it's reference-based.
[Client thread/INFO] [Natura]: TConstruct, we're going to take over the world!
Name of map:Block Ninja made by Chronos02 / 8_4f73r5h0ck_8
Genre: Minigame / Challenge / Arcade
Estimated completion time: 5 minutes to until you get bored!
Link to forum thread: Ughhh... Its at the bottom of my signature, if that's okay
Quick description: Well, Block Ninja is pretty much Fruit ninja fully imported into Minecraft, with my very own additions, tweaks and changes. You must hit the flying blocks with snowballs to score. Miss a block? Lose a Life. Hit a TNT? Lose 50 Lives. There are many characterized blocks, blades and backgrounds so have fun with those. Block List: Diamonds, Emerald, Gold, Redstone, Obsidian (Stealth), Cake (Intelligence), Ice (Slowdown game), Note Blocks (potential bug that prevents note blocks from appearing), Glass (healer), TNT (PURE EVIL)
So this isnt the shortest description, but you should get the idea at least. Thanks for reading and I'm looking forward to a review!
ELEMENTALS UNLEASHED MOD
http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/mapping-and-modding/minecraft-mods/2355420-e-l-e-m-e-n-t-a-l-s-unleashed-as-good-as-elementsAre You Ready for the Necromancer? Click Below to Find Out...
http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/mapping-and-modding/maps/2289723-necromancer-boss-fight
BLOCK NINJA
http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/mapping-and-modding/maps/2348266-1-8-block-ninja-the-game-remade-revision-edit
Alrighty. I played it for about 30 minutes and am ready to give my assessment. First ever review... here we go...
Tech: Amazing use of command blocks to determine when players miss a block. I can only take rough guesses at how it works. The rotating blocks to mark the options were cool... while they lasted. I think I broke them midway through. I couldn't understand how to work those options. Apart from that, not much to say here. Nothing ever seemed to glitch up on me. However, I did notice that later on, some of the blocks would fluctuate in speed. One wave would go really slowly then some more would fly up and down in about a second. I'm not sure if that's intentional, a glitch in the commands or just one of the quirks of Minecraft itself. Is that the effect of an ice block? If so, that's awesome. One small thing I would change though is make a clock that restores your hunger or just give out a bit of food. Normally, you're dying fast enough for it to not matter. But I almost ran out of hunger after quitting a few games prematurely.
Design: In terms of structures, this is of course, a very small map. So, I'll have to look elsewhere for this category. Great use of particles, and I don't mean the added stuff like toggle-able rain cloud. I liked how when the blocks reached their zenith they would flash with smoke. The fire on the bottom of the board might be a bit much though. The section of floor under the game board that's made out of barriers with void under it doesn't quite sit too well with me. But that's just a personal preference. I also found some random blocks of emerald (I think) lying around doing nothing.
Execution: Interest curves don't really apply to a randomly generated minigame like this. And most of the game is quick reaction based, so there isn't really a whole lot of choice. However, I do like how one wave is some TNT with a cake. That gives a little risk reward, but I decided it wasn't worth it. Which brings me to my next point. I feel TNT is too punishing. It really is the only reason I lost games. Most of the time, it wouldn't matter if missing a normal fruit lost me a life because I ended up hitting two TNTs and dying. I'd recommend maybe cutting the number of lives in half and then make TNT only take around 15 lives. But, that might cause some unforeseen problems. I'd also like it if the spot the player stands was moved a little closer to the board so that the snowballs reach their target faster. Although, that might cause some problems with the screen being too big.
And now, let me move on to my biggest problem with the map. Maybe I'm just being an idiot, but I feel that to the casual player, the map is not explained well enough. Sure, after pressing all the buttons and messing around, I figured it out, but some more signs would be nice. For example, I had no idea what to do with the three rotating blocks. They were labeled properly, but I didn't know how to use them. I tried walking up to the redstone block one and right clicked it, but that brought up a trade menu. I could take off the redstone block and use that for the manual start. I'd much rather have a plain old button labeled "start" or just a sign explaining how they work. I was also confused about the bonus blade thing up top. I assumed it was a permanent upgrade that you could buy with total score. But it actually is a temporary thing and you need to score over 50 in one round.
Overall: Usually, when an idea is "ported" over to Minecraft, the creator has to simplify it to work inside Minecraft's limitations. Instead, this map goes beyond its source material adding concepts the original didn't have (although granted, I haven't played Fruit Ninja in a LONG time...), such as custom backgrounds and more fruit types. The only major problem I can find with this is that it could explain options better. (although I do wonder how much difference there really is between the fruit types...)
One last note, there is a completely different way you could do the snowballs. Rather than have the player throw them, you could have it when the player holds the blade, it triggers an array of command blocks that launch a snowball in the direction the player is facing. I'm not sure if that would actually work well though.
You sure this works in 1.7? Without entity selectors? (spoiler, it doesn't)
Started off raining, turned off
Random item frames lying around
All the signs have quote marks in them. Not sure if thats my fault (Spoiler, it was)
A lot of the buttons weren't on the right block and just floating in midair. I am technically playing on 1.7.2 though... Is that it? Had to fix manually
Got stuck in change blade room
Realized I was an idiot and reloaded map in 1.8 instead. (I thought it was for 1.7 because it said version 1.7 on thread... oops...)
Much better. No rain, no item frames, looks much better. I was being stupid.
Cool rotatey block thingys... now how do they work...
Had to use manual start thing
Managed to miss just about everything
Got the hang of it eventually
Fell off platform and discovered that ended game
Ooohhh... you hit the option you want...
or wait... do you? why else str 2?
Had to use manual start again
Randomly blew up. Might have run out of lives. (yep, ran out of lives)
yay! rain cloud!
Still have no clue how the 3 main wither skull things work
And the blocks vanished... And I think I killed the villagers that were part of them...
I'm running out of hunger...
There sure are a lot of particle effects available
Some of these buttons could be labeled better
Can't see anything when I use any blade other than default
I couldn't seem to buy new blades. NVM, found out why, have to score >50 in one game, not total
Custom BGs cool. Maybe add creative mode option there?
I'll start trying to break the map...
Jumped into the board, managed to fall out of map. Go me!
interesting... if I dropped a snowball into board with Q, it takes 50 lives.
Hope this review helped. I liked the map overall.
There's a difference between a hero and a champion. A champion overcomes threats, but a hero overcomes fears.
All my maps, click here.
Then there's also a Youtube channel I'm somewhat involved in.