Lode Runner

[moycon]

Cimerians, would just checking out screen shots of the original help? I found this site that has a bunch of the original levels on the right hand side of the screen.

 

http://www.old-games.com/download/2454/lode-runner

[onlysublime]

Cool I may have to try em' out when I get the chance. I'm not a big fan of the level design of this game to begin with so I like fan made levels a whole lot better. (I feel the devs made many levels too cramped where you die almost constantly if your not quick enough).

 

At some point I was going to try and recreate some of the levels from the original game but couldnt find any maps\layouts of the original levels.

 

LOL. my levels aren't that good. I did them in like 5 minutes each. you can't place as many blocks as the old Atari version (the blocks are so friggin big in the 360 version), at least from my memory. the Atari one, I could barely fit in the fuji symbol and after I did, there was little room for making the level decent. so I ended up using the gimmick of the palm tree to block your view so you would have to time your run and get the right drop.

 

the helena level actually does have a couple of tricks in it. from a design standpoint, that's the more interesting one. my brothers and i loved to make levels when we were kids. so much fun.

 

the level designer allows you a lot more options because of the added gameplay elements introduced by the new version. but I wish the layering was a little more flexible. If you layer in the background and foreground some cool objects, it forces you to shrink your playfield if you want the playfield to be visible the entire time. like the helena level has some nice iceberg graphics. but I couldn't find a resize option so if I put an iceberg in the foreground, it blocked a huge chunk of the playfield. this makes the already small field problematic.

 

if you find all of the original levels from lode runner, let me know the link and I'll do some of them (as close as I can get). that sounds like a great idea. moycon's link is a good start.

[onlysublime]

alright, there are some serious flaws of the design of the whole level system. unless I'm not doing something right, it appears there are no servers to store your levels. they're all stored on your Xbox. meaning you actually have to be running Lode Runner in order for people to get your levels. once they get your levels onto their Xbox, you don't need to have Lode Runner up any more. once the levels are on their Xbox, they can play or edit it and they can reshare with anyone out there.

 

but here's the thing, it doesn't save your settings. every time you load up Lode Runner, you have to go back and create a share lobby again if you want to share the levels. and not only that. after you create the share lobby, if you exit out and go play the regular game, I think it stops sharing. so it's annoying if you just want to share with a lot of strangers.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aevEHs-EsKQ

here are reasonable facsimiles of levels 1 and 2 from the Atari version. I just uploaded them so if you're catching the vids early, it hasn't fully been processed by Youtube so wait an hour.

 

and here's another flaw. I designed my levels to be co-op. naturally, I assumed that this gave you the flexibility to play it as either single player or co-op. but the level only shows up in the co-op section and won't allow you to start unless there's at least another player if you make it as a co-op level. so basically, you have to save your level twice under different names, with a 1-player version and a 2-player version. which would be okay if you could create an unlimited number of levels. but you're limited to 40 custom levels per gamertag afaik. that means if you duplicate the levels for both co-op and single player, you can only make 20 levels. now, if you have multiple gamertags, then that can be a kudgy workaround.

[cimerians]

Thanks to Moycon for the link and thanks for looking into the editor onlysublime...

 

I remember the editor wasn't the most convenient. Its been a while since I've been at this game. Still I may create some of the originals...I like the lava look you gave the second one.

 

If I have time this week I may crank out a few.

[onlysublime]

for those that are interested in what the co-op gameplay is like. you actually have to work together. i always thought it was just a pair of guys running around. I also found flaws in the levels I made after actually playing it in co-op (will fix levels asap). I also showed the Last Man game mode and some of the custom levels that were changed since the last vids.

 

 

00:49 stage 1 level 1.

1:54 stage 1 level 2.

3:23 stage 1 level 3.

5:51 stage 1 level 4.

10:25 Stage 1 Bonus Room.

13:10 Last Man 2 player ruins.

15:54 custom level (level 4 of original lode runner).

19:10 custom level (the Helena level).

21:00 custom level (original level 1).

22:40 custom (original level 2).

23:36 custom (original level 3).

Edited February 26, 2013 by onlysublime