Winnie-The-Pooh Game

[jack]

I looked out the flash game I wrote again (http://cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com/222925.html). Level 20 was hard, it took me half an hour to solve, and I *wrote* it.

I had some other impressions:

* Roguelike mode is very useful, without it its too tedious walking round levels that take a long time.
* You really need a "reset" key, it's stupid that you need the mouse
* Some of the interactions are too subtle. Beetles jump into a 1-wide chasm, but no further. Which makes sense, but it's not clear. I could add some more levels to pad it out a bit, that would be fun, but not every single level introducing a subtlety of behaviour. That was definitely the best effort/reward at the time, but it does mean it can be hard, or too quickly completed if it isn't hard.
* Pooh should be able to see at angles!

But when I found it hard, I remembered several people had been stuck on some level or other, but in the midst of a party I couldn't really help them. If you wanted to ask for hints, I can help you now :)

Comments

13

[thethirdvoice.livejournal.com]

Although I never asked you at a party, I can't find a difference in piglet's behaviour in water. Please help!

Re: 13

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

I never really got that one either. I managed to get a fair way just by trial and error, but I haven't deduced the rules.

Re: 13

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Well, trial and error should work for a bit, but I gave spoilers in my response to Lisa.

Weren't you asking me about one of the earlier levels with Pooh in at Lnr's? But I wasn't sure which one.

Re: 13

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

10, but I got it in the end.

Re: 13

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Is that level 10 in version 2? ("Plague", the one with many beetles and no Pooh?)

Re: 13

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

yeah.

Ooh, thank you for playing!

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Ah, ok. Let me give some spoilers.

* The logic is a little subtle, on this level you're supposed to guess the answer without exploring the subtleties yet, though I don't know if that works.
* Piglet follows your trail, on each square following the way you went from it most recently.
* If you wade along the river Piglet will follow you.
* But if you also crossed the river straight across Piglet can't tell which trail is more recent. So if you cross water straight over, and then find your way back to the square where you started, step into the river, and go sideways, he should ignore you and go straight ahead.
* To achieve this, you have to cross the river, then go round the loop in a big circle to get to the same spot without recrossing your trail.
* Stick to the inside so you can escape freely down the outside after you've lost him.

I wanted the "be able to lose Piglet's tracking in water" mechanic and worked for ages to think of an implementation. I thought this was quite clever, but was possibly over-engineered.

Re: Ooh, thank you for playing!

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

What I think might be helpful is some sort of tracking thing whereby one can keep track of which squares one has used and in which direction. I couldn't hold it all in my head, and hence the all-water level was too fiddly.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, that would help. I think visualising it would just make it more complex if anything, but something like that would be necessary.

FWIW, doing that level, I walk a circle in the centre-left area, with a specific sideways jog to leave it, and otherwise leave it untouched. Leave the top of the central funnel unpassed. And then I don't worry about anything else, just play it by ear and try to lead every piglet into the circle I drew before without losing them, and then get out of the circle along the same path. That way I should be able to collect all the piglets in a big circle on the left.

(If you walk into a piglet, it turns to follow you, but you can block one's way without worry.)

And then enter their circle, and lead a path to the top of the funnel and over the trapdoor. They should all walk round the circle and follow the path and fall in.

I used to try to lead a whole conga line of piglets round the level with me, but they would definitely get stuck in one of the long passages.

[geekette8.livejournal.com]

Ooh, ooh, yes sir, please sir, me sir, please sir!

I'm still stuck on level 13: http://cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com/292352.html?thread=2025472

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

ROFL. Aye. See my comment to Lisa above.

[captain-aj.livejournal.com]

Nice. I very rarely like puzzle games (least favourite genre), but this is one I definitely do seem to be quite hooked by. Congrats :-)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I wish I'd had time to do more, or others, someone saying that makes it worthwhile :)