Knight's Tour 6

[GooRoo]

Designer:		Swietymiki & GooRoo
Level Set:	6Ho/Ho	Area 6 "Honey, I Shrunk The Gruntz" Level 21
Est. Completion:		1:05:30
Est. Solve:		??:??
Date Released:		June 12, 2022
Status:		Released
Notes:		Difficulty=Medium+ Size=Huge (118X120) Density=Loose/Normal/Dense
		Version 6/11/2022 @ 05:15 PM PDST
		Not yet
Statz Page image		Perfect! (Swietymiki)
Statz info.
Survivorz:		2 (or )
Deathz:		0
Enemy Gruntz:		49+
Toolz:		12
Toyz:		7
Powerupz:		6
Coinz:	14	+6 (hidden)
Secretz:		2
View the map!		9,068,126 bytez 6/16/2022 @ 03:09 PM PDST (Forum's web host)

Also announced on Discord, inviting collaboration.

You start out as a peon carrying "not a manly weapon" and with diligent play get yourself promoted to the lowliest level Knight ... armed only with Gauntletz.

Whatever happens in between starting out and finishing your quest, any 'promotion' is only temporary. I tend to not include EyeCandy/BehindCandy until just before distribution. The map WILL look better in final form.

This is Swietymiki's "Happy Birthday" gift to me (GooRoo)

[GooRoo]

A very large percentage of chess games begin with "Pawn to King 4" (e2-e4 in algebraic notation), so I made this one finish at e4.

The starting square is in tile g5, and the penultimate square is in tile f6.

[swietymiki]

I'm willing to participate. I'd like to design 8 squares, maybe more if few other designers join in.

Also before the work starts, I suggest to make some adjustments to the map skeleton. I believe that with the help of Tomalla's WWD Framework these changes could be applied automatically to the entire level.

First thing to think about is that the level is so large that the minimap will not work in it, because it exceeds 121x121 in size. A potential solution would be to make all the squares slightly smaller, from 16x16 to 14x14. Another thing to consider is the lack of border on blue/black squares, which allows Gruntz to freely access the top-left border of the map, associated with various glitches. This could be fixed by either creating another hill layer within each square, or adding some other border to the chess board on the left, although that would increase the map size and possibly interfere with fixing the minimap.

[GooRoo]

Feb 26, 2022 7:45:42 GMT -8 swietymiki said:

I'm willing to participate. I'd like to design 8 squares, maybe more if few other designers join in.

Also before the work starts, I suggest to make some adjustments to the map skeleton. I believe that with the help of Tomalla's WWD Framework these changes could be applied automatically to the entire level.

First thing to think about is that the level is so large that the minimap will not work in it, because it exceeds 121x121 in size. A potential solution would be to make all the squares slightly smaller, from 16x16 to 14x14. Another thing to consider is the lack of border on blue/black squares, which allows Gruntz to freely access the top-left border of the map, associated with various glitches. This could be fixed by either creating another hill layer within each square, or adding some other border to the chess board on the left, although that would increase the map size and possibly interfere with fixing the minimap.

I have Tile #200 at the corners of the 'black' squares ... at least I thought I did. In the re-size (the hard way) that I did, I may have missed some, but my method is to create one 'white' square and one 'black' square next to it, adding #200 in all four corners; then block copy to fill the 8 rank;block copy 7 of 8 squares as the 7 rank and copy the 8th to have two finished skeleton rows. Then block copy two full rows to fill the other 6 ranks. Taking your suggestion for size reduction, I will find something attractive to put in the four corners of the 'black' squares and reduce the map to 121X121 (or less). Springz Grunt would be thwarted, but Wingz Grunt would not ... so NO WINGZ GRUNT(Z) ALLOWED!

Eight squares would allow me (as Director) to simply change the teleporters destinations for the final map, if the Designer did not pick out a specified set of moves..

But wait until I get the printable chess board with move numbers in the 64 squares before beginning any effort. Then any participant would be able to select "moves #x to move #Y" and specify their beginning Tool and what the departing Grunt(z) have in the last square. My goal is to make the puzzle appear to have been created by one person, regardless of how many Designerz actually participate.

[GooRoo]

Here is the printable chess board, showing the move numbers. Chess Board (HTML)

[swietymiki]

Yes, I wouldn't want to start editing the level until I was sure that everything is planned out.

On the second issue, actually I was not concerned with passing between the black squares, because there are black dots blockading the corners. What I meant was that the row and column #0 of the map is a part of the playing field on the black squares. There are some bugs associated with these areas, like Gruntz being able to pass through hazards. It would be safer to have a one-tile frame of some kind there.

[GooRoo]

Feb 26, 2022 12:52:20 GMT -8 swietymiki said:

Yes, I wouldn't want to start editing the level until I was sure that everything is planned out.

On the second issue, actually I was not concerned with passing between the black squares, because there are black dots blockading the corners. What I meant was that the row and column #0 of the map is a part of the playing field on the black squares. There are some bugs associated with these areas, like Gruntz being able to pass through hazards. It would be safer to have a one-tile frame of some kind there.

But there is nothing of value on those letters, and the spacing eliminates Springz from getting there and from thence to any other 'black' square. And I have stated that Wingz is a No-No.

And the reduced size map for review is downloadable as smaller map

I did nothing about stray objects and tilez left over from the earlier version. This is just to see if the crossover problem is fixed, as well as the size reduced.

[GooRoo]

I did a search of all of the Gruntz Custom Level Questz in the "Honey, I Shrunk The Gruntz" graphics set, and did not find any with a second plane.
I was going to add one to this map in order to make it clear that none of the border areas showing the chess board file (algebraic) names or row numbers contain anything playable.
All of the Tilez in view are the 'crumbling' type, with nothing on them, so a Collaborator would have to add a Question Mark Switch and add stuff to make the area 'count' for anything.

The Red Warp is already spoken for (by me), so that is also NOT an option.

I made a change to the area anyway, so you may try to get to the rank and file indicators ... but you should have to make changes to do so.

[GooRoo]

Ready for BETA testing and/or Collaborators filling in the (several!) empty squares. The teleporters may be moved around to fit your needs, but the destination(s) must remain the same. A Question Mark Switch should allow movement one square east, north, west or south and prevent the Grunt from remaining in that adjacent square ... and able to do anything there. Such as to be stranded on a plateau with no way down/up to the intended playing level.

[swietymiki]

I would like to create a few puzzles now. But before I begin, there used to be some designing rules in the first post, which were deleted in one of its updates. Do you still have them saved somewhere? From what I remember there were some restrictions on how many coins, items, etc. could be added per designer. I wouldn't want to break them and then have to redesign my parts.

[GooRoo]

Mar 4, 2022 12:55:13 GMT -8 swietymiki said:

I would like to create a few puzzles now. But before I begin, there used to be some designing rules in the first post, which were deleted in one of its updates. Do you still have them saved somewhere? From what I remember there were some restrictions on how many coins, items, etc. could be added per designer. I wouldn't want to break them and then have to redesign my parts.

Give me two hours to finish some updates on my XP and re-upload to the web host. I recommend consecutive moves making no changes to 'occupied' squares with the exception of the two squares where I put in Question Mark logics. You may remove my tiles, retaining the Teleporters ... but the entrance points and exit points are free to move around. Then PM me with the squares you want to make your own. I have been re-educating myself on Gruntz Level Editor, and have learned a bit on the XP and think they are good enough to retain for ultimate distribution. (I had just about given up on more collaboration than you have already provided, not expecting anyone new to jump in.)

[GooRoo]

There will be at least four credited Collaborators (two of them retired) for this Custom Level Quest. And at this posting there are at least two dozen 'empty' move squares, where the solver drops in and only has to find the exit. So there is still room for others to submit mini-puzzles that fit in a 12X12 tile (White square) or 14X14 tile (Black square) area.

[GooRoo]

I found it very easy to create the "View the map!" image and its ThumbNail. So it should be just as easy to update the map with the squares that any Collaborators change.

Notice that there are three empty chess board squares in this image. Meant to show that I can modify the map any time someone improves the skeleton (or any of my efforts). The three empty squares are because I "pressed any key" and started the game, so had to 'solve' those squares ... which would be a bit of a spoiler. I have the original tile images ready to put into the map at any time.

[GooRoo]

There are several chess openings that begin with

P-K4 (e2-e4)	P-K4 (e7-e5)
N-KB3 (N-f3)	N-QB3 (N-c6)
B-QN5 (B-b5) is the suggested next move

That is the reason for the initial board layout

[GooRoo]

Something a Designer might be interested in: Enemy Gruntz.

Important note to self: Update links when it is decided whether Collaborator, GooRoo&Swietymiki or GooRoo&Company or something else to receive this Quest file.

[swietymiki]

What are the squares that are taken by you at the moment? Just the ones with the puzzles or also the ones with chess pieces?

[GooRoo]

Mar 6, 2022 5:47:19 GMT -8 swietymiki said:

What are the squares that are taken by you at the moment? Just the ones with the puzzles or also the ones with chess pieces?

The four Rooks (a1, a8, h1 and h8) are filled as much as (I deem) necessary. b5, e4, g5, h6 and h7 are already filled (by me) using Gamer's and Guenther's brains. The rest of the squares have Switches which are required as-is, but the action required to get to them is "up for grabs" (including the rest of the chess pieces).

[swietymiki]

I'll just take F8, G7, E8, D6, D4, F3, E1 and G2 for now, so that all the beginning moves are complete with no empty space in between. But I'm still open for designing some more squares after I'm done with that.

[GooRoo]

Mar 7, 2022 7:51:11 GMT -8 swietymiki said:

I'll just take F8, G7, E8, D6, D4, F3, E1 and G2 for now, so that all the beginning moves are complete with no empty space in between. But I'm still open for designing some more squares after I'm done with that.

I have made some (visual) improvements to the two White Knights (b1 and f3) that I have not uploaded to the web host yet. So please make f3 changes after the others, to be sure you have the correct Knight contents. Those changes also affect square h5 (the final pool).

[swietymiki]

Mar 7, 2022 8:40:46 GMT -8 GooRoo said:

I have made some (visual) improvements to the two White Knights (b1 and f3) that I have not uploaded to the web host yet. So please make f3 changes after the others, to be sure you have the correct Knight contents. Those changes also affect square h5 (the final pool).

Could you send me a picture with those changes? I'd like to design the F3 square now.