Ruins Level (Page 6 Download (final version 01/25/2019)

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Re: Ruins Level (Page 5 Download (final version 01/25/2019))

Post by Rebel »

Thanks for the comments, Drac. If the map cheat doesn't help enough, I did include the walkthrough
inside the level's folder. The aquatic reptile you speak of is the tylosaur from cityscape; machf rigged
it, and did a damn good job on it too.
Spoiler: show
If you tease the tylo enough he'll break through the ai barrier and chase you on the terrain.
Bad news for him, though. If it doesn't get back into the water, it'll die in a few minutes -


*Oh, the project I mentioned was the catacombs.
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Re: Ruins Level (Page 5 Download (final version 01/25/2019))

Post by TheIdiot »

So...this is the "final" version, then? Shall I give it a complete runthrough and then crush you under the weight of a pattented T.I. 10,000-word review..?
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Re: Ruins Level (Page 5 Download (final version 01/25/2019))

Post by Draconisaurus »

That is what he said, it's final..
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Re: Ruins Level (Page 5 Download (final version 01/25/2019))

Post by Rebel »

So...this is the "final" version, then? Shall I give it a complete runthrough and then crush you under the weight of a pattented T.I. 10,000-word review..?
You're gonna let me have it with both barrels, huh, T.i.? :lol: Well, all I can tell you bud is that
I always give it my best. Whether that's enough to evade your wrath, well . . .
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Re: Ruins Level (Page 5 Download (final version 01/25/2019))

Post by TheIdiot »

Rebel wrote:
So...this is the "final" version, then? Shall I give it a complete runthrough and then crush you under the weight of a pattented T.I. 10,000-word review..?
You're gonna let me have it with both barrels, huh, T.i.? :lol: Well, all I can tell you bud is that
I always give it my best. Whether that's enough to evade your wrath, well . . .
TIME TO FACE MY WRATH! AHhahahahaaaa! :P
But seriously, time to embark on another excessively long and detailed review of mine...don't worry, I quite enjoyed the level. :wink:

Ruins
By Rebel


PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Spoiler: show
Ruins opens up like a lot of Trespasser levels - your plane has crashed somewhere, everyone has died but you, and now you've got to find your way out. However, it's immediately obvious from the moment you leave the plane that you're somewhere new and unique that we've never seen in a Tres level before: turns out you've crashed outside an enormous ancient Roman city. From the moment you enter the mammoth city gate, you find yourself wanting to explore every nook and cranny of it, something which this level allows you to do in full! You'll explore abandoned houses, market stores, a temple, and even a mill, but ultimately your objective is to escape the city and move onward toward the massive mountain in the distance (which happens to be a disguised Mount Watson as this level uses a well-disguised IT terrain as its base - something I usually am not a huge fan of, though I'm happy to say is done well enough in this level that I didn't initially notice). Every corner of this city is detailed richly, although the buildings are a little bit empty interior-wise, and you'll spend a lot of time wandering around checking out everything you can. I cannot stress enough how cool this city is! :D
Once you've explored the spectacular city and potentially encountered a mysterious portal with a denizen even more ancient than the city itself, you'll probably be wondering what you need to do to move on. This leads me into one of my few gripes with this level - the puzzles. Now don't get me wrong, I love puzzles in games and am always hoping to see some good ones in Trespasser, but I did find a couple of these puzzles to be somewhat difficult to find the solutions to, even with the provided Tomb Raider-esque cutaways (which are really cool, by the way). This first puzzle had me scratching my head for quite a while until I discovered that you actually have to climb to an off-the-path area which is quite hard to notice, which I fear many other players might not even realize is there. The rest of the solution to the puzzle isn't that hard, but finding that one item - the torch, spoiler alert - was a bit trickier than I think it needed to be.
Eventually, you'll solve this puzzle and say goodbye to the city (and the nearby wild boar, your only friend in this level) - possibly with sword in hand - and find yourself journeying down a long valley over which towers a huge aqueduct, one of the most impressive things I've seen for a long time in Tres. Skeletons of long-dead Roman soldiers occupy the valley -as well as some unwelcome company in the form of velociraptors - leaving you wondering what exactly happened here that killed them all off, and you'll find some more corpses in a hidden cave-barracks which only makes you more interested in finding out why all these Romans ended up dead without signs of battle. Near the end of this valley, you'll also stumble upon a small temple, which, once accessed via puzzle, contains a fun little platforming segment and one of the more major puzzles of this level. The solution to this puzzle isn't immediately obvious, but astute observers will figure out the solution soon enough and, after a bit of a backtrack which didn't feel too tedious but could have used some more action, will find themselves advancing toward the final part of the level. I do think the solution to this puzzle could be misconstrued, however, and might result in a player backtracking substantially to retrieve an item they obtained earlier only to find it isn't the right answer. :?
Passing an excellent new machf-made creature that I won't spoil and with a new/old key in tow, you'll soon find yourself at the last challenge of the level - a simple puzzle, but a good one nonetheless. With that out of the way, you enter a dark, eerie passage - some sort of catacombs, from the looks of things - and hear the door slam shut behind you to reach the level's end, leaving you on a cliffhanger that ultimately made me wanting more after journeying through this excellent adventure!
SUMMARY:
Map Design: 7/10 - Some great environments and locations that take you from place to place seamlessly as well as a complete redress of an original Trespasser terrain make this level feel very natural. A few difficulties in navigation and some backtracking however do slow the level down and occasionally leave you scratching your head, and it's a bit disappointing that there wasn't really much to do in the massive Roman city.
Gameplay: 8/10 - Puzzles, puzzles, puzzles in this level, which range from medium-to-obscure in difficulty. I'm hugely fond of puzzles in levels, and I really liked a lot of what was done here, but there were some which felt a little bit too obscure and difficult to complete, in particular due to the out-of-the-way placement of key items. Still, I hugely commend the originality and challenge these puzzles created.
Story: 7.5/10 - There's some really cool stuff going on here - a time portal, dinosaurs in a Roman ruin, bodies mummified like those at Pompeii...so many interesting things which make you eager to investigate and want to know more. The only thing I wish for was a little bit more evidence hinting at what really happened here, as by the end I was really wanting to get a few more answers (I'm aware that there may be sequels to this level and am willing to change my score here if some of that is cleared up in later levels).
Creativity: 10/10 - This level knocks it out of the park with its original environments and scenery. It's one of those rare few levels where almost every model is new, and those that aren't are used very well. The puzzles and mini-dungeons encountered around the level make it all the more interesting and unique, earning a perfect score from me here.

OVERALL:
8/10 - Turns out the true barbarians that brought about the fall of Rome...were the DINOSAURS! :P

Will also post this one to my level review thread!
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Re: Ruins Level (Page 5 Download (final version 01/25/2019))

Post by Rebel »

That was a very well detailed and generous review, T.I. Thank you for that, and for taking the
time to write it. The task of creating this level pretty much on my own (though input given by
others truly helped, including you) was quite the challenge, but I enjoyed it and your hope al-
ways is that others will enjoy playing it Naturally, there are always things you could add and
or change, but you just make decisions and hope they're the right ones. I know finding that
torch can be challenging, but those who play with atx will find the map cheat useful. ;)

Sequel? I'd call it a continuation (the catacombs), and so long as I'm still alive and kicking in
late August (that's when I gradually cut back my work hours), I do plan on working on this.

Thanks again for your kind review, and for playing the level. :)
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Re: Ruins Level (Page 5 Download (final version 01/25/2019))

Post by TheIdiot »

You're most certainly welcome, Reb. :)

I think this is definitely a level others will enjoy. The changes you made overtime, even the small ones, were definitely for the better. I do look forward to checking out catacombs as I'm sure it will be a worthy continuation...just what we saw at the end of Ruins was more than enough to get anyone interested in what comes next.
I know finding that
torch can be challenging, but those who play with atx will find the map cheat useful. ;)
Hmm, that reminds me, I need to see about getting the old ATX levels with maps updated to work with CE. Lee wrote me a script for maps but I haven't tried it out yet.
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Re: Ruins Level (Page 5 Download (final version 01/25/2019))

Post by Rebel »

I finally got around to creating a CE version of the level, so if anyone's interested it can be downloaded
here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/vdhj85c3 ... ge.7z/file

(file size: approx. 30mbs (note: atx stand_alone version is available on the main site under levels))

Be advised, this requires the latest version of CE. I'm reposting the walkthrough below if someone may
need a little help. Naturally, do not read if you don't want to know. ;)
Spoiler: show
Quick Walkthru

Your main goal is, as Anne's goal always was, is to find help and being stranded in
an abandoned, ancient roman city isn't the best place to look.

Having survived your plane crash, exit the plane's tail section. To your left, and down
a slight hill take note of a red fuel container. It may seem like a useless prop, but in
fact you'll be needing it to solve the puzzle so that you can exit the city and into the
outer valley.

There are a few items around that are weapons, but no guns. There is a mace and
a knife inside two of the peasant rooms as well as a gladiator sword found inside the
small arena.

Take note of the rather large and partially destroyed temple. No doubt, you will hear
the eerie sound coming from there as you approach it. Be careful, as this is a portal
(yes, time portal) to another world, a jurassic world. You cannot enter that realm but
raptors can enter yours.

Behind that portal is a rather decorative room with a painting of a goddess (actually,
this woman looks like an old girlfriend of mine (damn, I miss her)), On the floor near
the wall is a torch. Take it.

Head back to the plane, where the engine fires are still burning. Light the torch, but
be careful not to get burned. Now, remember that fuel container? If you haven't yet
visited the courtyard behind the long abandoned market fronts, picking the container
up will give you a camera hint as to where you should place it.

Grab the container and that torch and go there now. Look closely at the wall towards
the end of the courtyard, past the boar a little ways. There's a hole inside the wall and
this is where the container should be placed. Once the container is set, use the torch
to light the fuel breather, and back up straight and quickly. If the container explodes n'
you're too close, Anne will die!

Once the smoke has clear, croach down and squeeze through the wall's opening. In
front of you lies the path to the outer valley. Continuing down for a while, to your right
take note of a rather large entrance. This was an old roman soldier outpost, unifnished
but inside there's at least one item there that you need. The ladder -

Grab the ladder by the 1st rung and exit the outpost to your right. Continue on towards
the aquaducts. Between two aquaduct pylons (or pillars) in the pass take note of the
rather large cross raised within the concrete. This is where you place your ladder. Go
slowly towards it (use S, not W) and place the latter directly beneath the cross. It it's
the right spot, the ladder will be placed and freeze in the correct location. Begin climb-
ing the ladder -

At the top of the ladder is a hidden door, by touching it, it will recede inside the plyon's
exterior. Enter, take the sacred stone and then exit. Be advised, there's a few raptors
around this area, so if you decide to carry both stones with you, you will be unarmed,
hence in a little bit of danger.

Continuing on, a little ways ahead of you, take note of an old wagon. There's one item
lying inside the wagon's bed that you'll need. An axe/hammer tool. You'll need this to
break the lock on the end_temple doors that's a little ways further along to your left. If
you choose, you can bring the stones to the temple first, then return for the tool.

Let's assume you have reached the temple, both stones are lying just close by. Take
the axe/hammer tool and aim for the center of the lock mechanism. You need to strike
that area at least twice to the snap the rusted section of the lock off. You got it, good!

Inside the temple you have a typical trespasser style puzzle in front of you. I hope you
are good at jumping and judging distance as falling into the lava means death. I suggest
taking one stone at time here so you can see precisely where you are jumping to and
from.

Note, the sacred stones are not the same. The crosses have arrows on one side, right
and left. Placing the correct stone on each of the reception plates will trigger the hidden
door inside the middle altar to open. Once this happens, grab the cross key and exit
the temple, being careful not to fall into the lava.

Proceeding left, go up and around the knoll and to the end valley's entrance way marked
by two crosses marking the stairs. Go down, around the small pond and keep heading
straight towards the mountain's walls. Here, you'll find another mountain entrance. Note
the gates ahead of you blocking your way. Take your key out, ease your way up to the
center of the gates and line up your key. Once done, the gates will open and you can
proceed down to the stairs ahead of you.

The door is front of you leads to the entrance of the catacombs. The door weight sitting
on the floor are prepositioned, meaning, use the door weight closest to its mated counter
weight.

Line up each weight, moving slowy. Once you've positioned the weight in the correct po-
sition, the door weight will set. When each weight is set, the weight will begin dropping,
raising the door.

Enter the catacombs. Inside a ways is where this particular level will end. I will not say
for the sake of mystery, exactly how.

Will there be a continuation to this level? Well, the answer is yes, assuming I don't die
before then! There will most likely be a beta_2 release to this level as there's a few items
that we're working on that I personally would like to add to the level before moving on.

Some small tibbets and notes:

For anyone unfamilar with this level or anything written about it before, the torch keeps a-
way all animals, including the raptors. So technically, you can go through the entire level
without getting attacked.

If you don't want to worry about raptors inside the town, if you hug the edges of city's tem-
ple, no raptors will teleport through the portal.

The mace (basically a round ball with spikes, ouch!), can kill but it take at least two strikes
before an animal will die. So, keep that in mind if you use it. The gladiator sword kills with
one strike, I do not recall the killing power of the knife inside the peasant's apartment. The
crossbow is deadly, one hit. Due note, do not shoot at a tree, else the arrow will stick into
the tree (and some other wood objects), and cannot be retrieved for another shot -

CrossBow Hickups: Only one, sometimes once you store the bow, grabbing the arrow will
not auto-load the bow. If that happens, just unstore the bow, and then restore it. The arrow
(reach for it again) will then load properly -

Camera Hints: These so called out of body experiences are hints, suggesting to you where
you need to go. It doesn't show precise items, just the general area so you know where to
look for said item.

Cheating: Sorry, but there are really no shortcuts. Scripting is set up so that you cannot
circumvent a puzzle simply by teleporting (i.e. into the end_temple) or flying somewhere. If
for instance, you fly via atx into the end_temple the sacred stones will not set and you can-
not get the key needed for the gates. Besides, you shouldn't cheat anyways!

Dinos: Yes, there's only a total of 8 in level if all elements of the level are in play, so there's
not a tremendous amount of danger here, but I was more concerned with the puzzling, and
bringing the level to its playable end-game. Next time around, there may be more dangers,
more dinosaurs or another animal to contend with.

Other animals: Boar, Cow, Goat; they're all basically harmless (and the Cow is so OTP that
you can't actually interact with it).

Easter Eggs:

Not a lot here, but a few that I'd consider to be E.Eggs.

An ashen, frozen in time hand protruding up the the ash in the underground passage to the
arena.
The ashen corpse inside the bath.
My name, hidden on the bark of a tree (somewhere, I don't even remember where the damn
thing is).
Inside the catacombs, the 1st skeleton to your left will turn its head, drop its jaw and gasp
if you reach for it.
That goddess painting. I'm not kidding, she's a dead ringer for that old girlfriend I mention-
ed above. Similar face, similar body . . . although, I don't recall her being so seductive, at
least not with me!
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Re: Ruins Level (Page 6 Download (final version 01/25/2019)

Post by Rebel »

This update only pertains to the ruins_level final (01_25_19), ATX version only. Replace the grf/scn
files inside the data folder. The altStream.tpa file would replace the file of the same name inside of
the Maps/LVL/ExampleTPAs folder.

*Note: Any previously saved games will not work once you replace the grf/scn files.

This isn't a large update, but it does add a few things and fixes some minor stuff like missing sub-
objects, a floating tree or two as well as some changes to culling on certain models. The additions
mentioned are hidden below if you have the urge to know. Most of these changes were added into
the CE Version I released above, so I wanted to update the stand-alone atx to match (the atx final
version is available on the main site under levels if you don't actually have it).
Spoiler: show
*Notables

Added an extra town raptor
Added a town goat (temple area)
Added laddering so you can scale the aqueduct and say hi to the brown cow (just 'W' up the rungs,
the climb goes smoother that way).
Attachments
ruins_atxupdate5-12-19.7z
ruins level final stand_alone atx version only update
(2.28 MiB) Downloaded 550 times
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Re: Ruins Level (Page 6 Download (final version 01/25/2019)

Post by Draconisaurus »

Hey Rebel, thought I'd point this out to you if you haven't seen it yet -



...

Basically I never figured out the ladder puzzle... blew right past me. The other puzzles were neat and DAMN I had not seen the catacombs area ingame or TresEd, very nice. :statue:
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Re: Ruins Level (Page 6 Download (final version 01/25/2019)

Post by Rebel »

Thanks, Drac. And yes, I watched it, I get a kick out of shadefyre's videos, he does a great job on them. If I can keep my eyes open long enough, I'm going back to watch the plains level that's listed as 'new'.
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Re: Ruins Level (Page 6 Download (final version 01/25/2019)

Post by Draconisaurus »

Just finished watching that one myself. I'm glad he showcased all the various areas; I'm particularly proud of the pit trap area.
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Re: Ruins Level (Page 6 Download (final version 01/25/2019)

Post by Rebel »

Draconisaurus wrote:Just finished watching that one myself. I'm glad he showcased all the various areas; I'm particularly proud of the pit trap area.
Oh yeah, that was a pretty neat idea. I like it when people think outside the box when designing their levels. I have played through this, but I either forgot some of the areas or completely missed them. I'm going to go and
download this again.
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Re: Ruins Level (Page 6 Download (final version 01/25/2019)

Post by Draconisaurus »

Yeah my Tres-imagination ran pretty wild back then. Don't quite have the patience at this time for something like a health system.
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