Player-made Levels... In the Game!

Discuss tricky levels, and show off your diabolical creations
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testtubegames
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Player-made Levels... In the Game!

Post by testtubegames »

It is still firmly in Beta mode, but if you check out Higgs Chapter 1, you'll find a new addition to the game. Scroll over to the right -- and there's a bunch of User Generated Levels! (Mainly by 19683 and A Random Player at the moment)

This level-pack system is very easy to add on to -- it just involves me copy and pasting your code into an xml file, basically. (And yes, at the moment, I do act as gatekeeper). You have a bunch of new player levels at your fingertips, with more on the way, I am sure.

And, to boot, the new level pack isn't just static. We can rate and rank the levels (and that information is uploaded to the server for all to see). The game keeps track of the 'best' scores people have gotten so far, so you'll know what the number is you have to beat.

(As a side note, this is partially since I think user generated levels are a bunch of fun for Agent Higgs, and partly to help me test out an easier system for sharing levels in Shocktopus -- and yes, Velocity Raptor, too!)
A Random Player
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Re: Player-made Levels... In the Game!

Post by A Random Player »

testtubegames wrote:It is still firmly in Beta mode, but if you check out Higgs Chapter 1, you'll find a new addition to the game. Scroll over to the right -- and there's a bunch of User Generated Levels! (Mainly by 19683 and A Random Player at the moment)

This level-pack system is very easy to add on to -- it just involves me copy and pasting your code into an xml file, basically. (And yes, at the moment, I do act as gatekeeper). You have a bunch of new player levels at your fingertips, with more on the way, I am sure.

And, to boot, the new level pack isn't just static. We can rate and rank the levels (and that information is uploaded to the server for all to see). The game keeps track of the 'best' scores people have gotten so far, so you'll know what the number is you have to beat.

(As a side note, this is partially since I think user generated levels are a bunch of fun for Agent Higgs, and partly to help me test out an easier system for sharing levels in Shocktopus -- and yes, Velocity Raptor, too!)
This is too cool. I notice the level editor no longer needs to be unlocked. Might be good, but I kinda think that the user levels button is placed next to the level editor button, to make it easier to get to and to group playable levels together?
On levels with my name on it, the "By A Random Player" doesn't fit in the box, so we could make it two lines, and remove the "By"?
And if anyone wants to check, no, chapter two doesn't have the player levels :P

This is awesome. And Velocity Raptor and Shockopus? :shock: Can't wait! :D

Edit: Player levels appear to be broken for me. :?:
$1 = 100¢ = (10¢)^2 = ($0.10)^2 = $0.01 = 1¢ [1]
Always check your units or you will have no money!
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testtubegames
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Re: Player-made Levels... In the Game!

Post by testtubegames »

A Random Player wrote:This is too cool. I notice the level editor no longer needs to be unlocked. Might be good, but I kinda think that the user levels button is placed next to the level editor button, to make it easier to get to and to group playable levels together?
On levels with my name on it, the "By A Random Player" doesn't fit in the box, so we could make it two lines, and remove the "By"?
And if anyone wants to check, no, chapter two doesn't have the player levels :P

This is awesome. And Velocity Raptor and Shockopus? :shock: Can't wait! :D

Edit: Player levels appear to be broken for me. :?:
Oh, thanks for catching that on your name. Yeah, I'll give that a fix this eve. And I think you're right about the menu buttons. It's too easy right now to keep on flying past the official game levels. When I get a chance, I'll try and rearrange the buttons (also fixing the pegged-on feel of the new shared levels)

Also, as per your edit, what's broken?
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Re: Player-made Levels... In the Game!

Post by A Random Player »

testtubegames wrote:
A Random Player wrote:This is too cool. I notice the level editor no longer needs to be unlocked. Might be good, but I kinda think that the user levels button is placed next to the level editor button, to make it easier to get to and to group playable levels together?
On levels with my name on it, the "By A Random Player" doesn't fit in the box, so we could make it two lines, and remove the "By"?
And if anyone wants to check, no, chapter two doesn't have the player levels :P

This is awesome. And Velocity Raptor and Shockopus? :shock: Can't wait! :D

Edit: Player levels appear to be broken for me. :?:
Oh, thanks for catching that on your name. Yeah, I'll give that a fix this eve. And I think you're right about the menu buttons. It's too easy right now to keep on flying past the official game levels. When I get a chance, I'll try and rearrange the buttons (also fixing the pegged-on feel of the new shared levels)
:D
testtubegames wrote: Also, as per your edit, what's broken?
When I click the button on the right ("New! More!"..etc), nothing happens.
Edit: Now it's working.

Edit: Do score take a while to update? I got 18 on Electric, but the 'perfect' is still 22.
$1 = 100¢ = (10¢)^2 = ($0.10)^2 = $0.01 = 1¢ [1]
Always check your units or you will have no money!
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testtubegames
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Re: Player-made Levels... In the Game!

Post by testtubegames »

testtubegames wrote:When I click the button on the right ("New! More!"..etc), nothing happens.
Edit: Now it's working.

Edit: Do score take a while to update? I got 18 on Electric, but the 'perfect' is still 22.
There might be a few bugs floating around still. I was noticing that the 'plays' number wasn't going up consistently either. I think there was an issue with server permissions, but it was apparently intermittent -- since it worked sometimes. I *think* I fixed it up now. Let me know if you encounter other issues like that.
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Re: Player-made Levels... In the Game!

Post by A Random Player »

testtubegames wrote:
testtubegames wrote:When I click the button on the right ("New! More!"..etc), nothing happens.
Edit: Now it's working.

Edit: Do score take a while to update? I got 18 on Electric, but the 'perfect' is still 22.
There might be a few bugs floating around still. I was noticing that the 'plays' number wasn't going up consistently either. I think there was an issue with server permissions, but it was apparently intermittent -- since it worked sometimes. I *think* I fixed it up now. Let me know if you encounter other issues like that.
Still appears to be happening - My 27 on Electric 2 isn't on the perfect.

Also, the play button on the opening screen loads the first level automatically if there aren't any beaten levels. I don't think this is intentional. Edit: Actually, it might be.
$1 = 100¢ = (10¢)^2 = ($0.10)^2 = $0.01 = 1¢ [1]
Always check your units or you will have no money!
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testtubegames
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Re: Player-made Levels... In the Game!

Post by testtubegames »

A Random Player wrote:Still appears to be happening - My 27 on Electric 2 isn't on the perfect.

Also, the play button on the opening screen loads the first level automatically if there aren't any beaten levels. I don't think this is intentional. Edit: Actually, it might be.
Ah, yes that second part is intentional -- as a quick-fix to always have the editor available, and yet not have the fresh, new player get suddenly lost in the complexities of the menu system. Just beat the first level, and that'll stop happening.

As for that first part... curious. Try this out for me: if you click on any of the levels, then jump back up to the menu, does the play count for that level go up? That should be related to the problem you mention (and a much faster way to test it). And then how about if you reload the level, does the play count stay at its last value?

Those things work for me, but try them out and see if they're working for you.

(The update system isn't terribly robust, so there might still be a few updates that wind up floating in the ether. But that should be rare.)
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Re: Player-made Levels... In the Game!

Post by A Random Player »

testtubegames wrote:
A Random Player wrote:Still appears to be happening - My 27 on Electric 2 isn't on the perfect.

Also, the play button on the opening screen loads the first level automatically if there aren't any beaten levels. I don't think this is intentional. Edit: Actually, it might be.
Ah, yes that second part is intentional -- as a quick-fix to always have the editor available, and yet not have the fresh, new player get suddenly lost in the complexities of the menu system. Just beat the first level, and that'll stop happening.

As for that first part... curious. Try this out for me: if you click on any of the levels, then jump back up to the menu, does the play count for that level go up? That should be related to the problem you mention (and a much faster way to test it). And then how about if you reload the level, does the play count stay at its last value?

Those things work for me, but try them out and see if they're working for you.

(The update system isn't terribly robust, so there might still be a few updates that wind up floating in the ether. But that should be rare.)
Tests:
"Annoyance" was at 2, and when I clicked and exit, it went to 3. I did it again, and it's still at 3. And again. Refresh, "Annoyance" is back at 2 again.

Edit: This was the 100th post in Agent Higgs?
$1 = 100¢ = (10¢)^2 = ($0.10)^2 = $0.01 = 1¢ [1]
Always check your units or you will have no money!
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testtubegames
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Re: Player-made Levels... In the Game!

Post by testtubegames »

A Random Player wrote:Tests:
"Annoyance" was at 2, and when I clicked and exit, it went to 3. I did it again, and it's still at 3. And again. Refresh, "Annoyance" is back at 2 again.

Edit: This was the 100th post in Agent Higgs?
I think I got this one fixed now. The problem was with caching... It saved the first version of data from the server and never checked again. Which explains why it would seem to work initially when I tested it (no cache yet) but then would break.

It was an easy fix (thankfully) and I'm glad you helped me find it. Just in the nick of time, too, moments before I left for the airport for a couple week trip!
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Re: Player-made Levels... In the Game!

Post by A Random Player »

testtubegames wrote:
A Random Player wrote:Tests:
"Annoyance" was at 2, and when I clicked and exit, it went to 3. I did it again, and it's still at 3. And again. Refresh, "Annoyance" is back at 2 again.

Edit: This was the 100th post in Agent Higgs?
I think I got this one fixed now. The problem was with caching... It saved the first version of data from the server and never checked again. Which explains why it would seem to work initially when I tested it (no cache yet) but then would break.

It was an easy fix (thankfully) and I'm glad you helped me find it. Just in the nick of time, too, moments before I left for the airport for a couple week trip!
Yay!

Found something else: Positrons are displayed as electrons in player level thumbnails.
$1 = 100¢ = (10¢)^2 = ($0.10)^2 = $0.01 = 1¢ [1]
Always check your units or you will have no money!
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