Answer 1

Good job, it's quite a fun map! I can feel you have playtested it quite a bit. On a few attempts I fell down somewhere and accidently activated an old checkpoint so I lost the progress (not such a problem if you are going for SS :)) I found some spots feel a bit weird ( for example after the first narrow column where you go up, if you boost from the ramp after that, I ended up missing the crystal alot of times :p) but it was probably me just needing to adjust. Looking forward for your next map!

Answer 2

Thanks for the feedback! I adjusted that particular crystal a number of times--it was 2 crystals for a long time, but I ended up reliably not need one of them. I'll tweak it further, thanks.

As for the checkpoints, I experienced that too. Other than spraying spikes everywhere, I couldn't figure out how to deter that problem...Maybe I'll put in very thin deathfields.

Answer 3

A very fun map indeed! I also missed the crystal ABoss is talking about a couple of times :P There's only one part I didn't like much; It's in about the middle of the map, where there are spikes on a 1-wide "pillar" and two crystals to the left of it. It felt very clunky compared to the rest of the map.

I too am looking forward to more!

Answer 4

I agree--that's actually the part of the map I die most often at. I'll rework it into something more enjoyable. Thanks for the feedback!

Answer 5

It's good fun, and I liked a lot of the findings you had (small passages between walls, the bit where you first pass underneath some dustblocks and make a little bit disappear, which then afterwards allows you to pass through). Some things to improve on in the future would be the clarity of the map - use the camera to your advantage to guide the player. It's fine to have a map that winds around itself like this one, but often I wasn't too sure whether to fall down somewhere or that was an abyss, or whether I should hit those crystals through the wall or not. It's also rather long; it's a reasonable difficulty so it's no big deal, but Dustforce maps tend to be aroudn 20-50 seconds, and the shortest current time is 1,5 minutes. Neither of these are necessarily bad, just something to think about :)

Answer 6

Noted, thank you! I've added some Prop arrows to help guide the player slightly, but by personal preference, I hate when the camera readjusts on me during a run. I'll see if I can do it subtly, though.

I try to incorporate some nifty tricks like the Dustramp and the thin passages for variety. Glad to hear they're well-received.

I know the map is long--I seem to have a tendency to make long but easy (easier, ahem) maps, instead of the short and sweet ones that are typical for Dustforce. I'll try making a more traditional one sometime, though.

Answer 7

I just want to reinforce what tinker is saying.  Many of the best maps in dustforce are short ones where every hundredth of a second counts.  Of course this is coming from someone whose last maps was 2:30 or so, and is working on a 3 minute monstrosity right now.  

I do recommend sending rough drafts of maps to friends though instead of uploading to atlas. If you upload early versions, its much less likely that people will play the final version at least based on my experience.  I gave up on this level after reloading at earlier checkpoints twice in a row.  I eagerly await an updated version.

Answer 8

Not sure if this has already been said, large text blocks intimidate me . :P. However, i think you should add some deathboxes after falls. Had about 3 or four runs that i couldn't even complete because i fell to a previous checkpoint.

Answer 9

Large text blocks are bad? Hm. Why is that?

Yeah, that's in the update notes--I fixed that. Well, mostly. Sorta.

Answer 10

If you play on a smaller resolution like me, large text blocks cover more than half the screen.

Answer 11

Damn. That's a good point. I'll take them out, thanks.

Answer 12

The map is pretty good for a first map, though some parts i'm not a fan of, it just couldve used a bit more polish imo. Otherwise pretty good :D

Answer 13

Anything more specific? Even if there were only one or two segments that you liked, I'd like to know just so that I can figure out what the community enjoys most, for future maps.

Answer 14

the start is kinda weird, the peak is kinda pointless, the 1 tile climbs just felt weird but weren't too bad, you had a couple slopes that just kinda ended which im not a fan of, the blind fall into the 1 prism was easily the worst part of the map.  and you had some spots where slope boosting doesnt flow very well

Answer 15

didnt really get stuck ever but it wasnt very clear where to go at some times, i ended up trying to clear the first tower of blocks before i went through most of the map, just a pointer or hint might be a good idea.

Answer 16

I've added more Prop arrows, and I'll try some camera work to make clear where you have to go next. Thanks for the feedback!

Answer 17

I think the flow isn't very good. I got lost at the first run, the one prism block that I have to hit after falling. And the small prism after the boost of fall made me feel kinda bad.. like aboss said

Answer 18

good for the first map tho

Answer 19

I think you should add borders such as spikes somewhere to prevent players from getting lost. Moderate amount of spikes don't add to the difficulty but let the level clearer.

You can also send WIP maps to players to let them help you playtest before uploading it to Atlas. Then you can upload until the map is well-polished enough.

Just some small advices. Good work and keep on! :D

Answer 20

I've already added those spikes, plus some camera work and prop arrows to make the map clearer. I figured uploading a bad map to the Atlas and getting excellent advice was better than the reverse way--this way, in a month or two, I'll be making superawesome maps.

Answer 21

my favorite parts were the air segments; the ground stuff felt kinda ungainly. most of the problematic segments have already been mentioned, but here's a few more:

improperly placed checkpoint after the first 1-tile wide climb; it should be more to the right to facilitate movement down the slope.

both of the boost-off-of-this-ramp-and-hit-a-prism-to-continue parts. the prisms are placed too far rightward, making it annoying to hit them and continue to the walls.

a small note about camera pathing. while i agree with you that a jittery camera is incredibly annoying, a useless one is even more so. good camera angles really help the player understand where to go next.

Answer 22

About that checkpoint; you're right, thank you! I've nudged it over to facilitate a better ramp slide.

About the boost-off-of-ramp-hit-prism parts...I replaced one of these with the larger Heavy Attack prism and moved its position, but every time I test these areas, I get different results. I may try replacing them entirely, but I'm not sure yet...

Camera pathing, yes, I'm working on adding that to make things more clear. It's difficult to get right, but Draft 2 will include it. Thanks for the feedback!

Answer 23

I wouldnt go overboard with this level, just start anew and keep in mind whats been mentioned, that what i do at least.