Breaking The Bank

[GooRoo]

Designer:		Pinkgoo
Level Set:	3TT/TT	Area 3 "Trouble In The Tropicz" Level 9
Est. Completion:		39:45
Est. Solve:		??:??
Date Released:		June 23, 2007
Status:		Released
Notes:		Difficulty=Medium(+) Size=Medium (40X40) Density=Normal
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Statz info.
Survivorz:		7
Deathz:		12
Toolz:		3
Toyz:		2
Powerupz:		0
Coinz:		8
Secretz:		2
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[GooRoo]

I missed one Secret (obviously, very well hidden ) and with it three Coinz, thus the game timer time indicated as 39:00(+). The 'plus' being the amount of time required to solve the mini-puzzle associated with that Secret. Perhapz I will be given another version of the puzzle with a better clue to the presence of the missed Secret ... that Secret being the only thing preventing the release of this fine little Custom Level.

When you see the puzzle, you will no doubt be as impressed as I was when I first opened it up and starting trying to solve it. There are at least three 'innovative' puzzlez in this releatively small map ... an excellent first (published?) Custom Level effort!

[GooRoo]

This Custom Level is now verified ready for release! I have several other CLz to verify (hopefully will get them all done today) that I want to 'bundle' all together in one distribution. I will send out everything I can after the baseball game this evening, some eleven hourz from now.

[GooRoo]

Gruntz Fanz in groupz 1, 2 and 4 should check your e-mail inboxez! I sent this one out a few minutez ago. Unfortunately, group 3 will be delayed because of the "outgoing message limit exceeded" problem.

[peekaboo]

I'm impressed. Kinda quirky for a first-timer. The bridge part is sure a rocking good time.

[Pinkgoo]

Thankz, I hope to do more of these "small but challenging" levelz in the future.

[SwordGrunt]

Can I just know something? Am I supposed to have my BH Grunt and the 12 'zombiez' get bombz, or one of them getz gauntletz?

[Pinkgoo]

The BH grunt should get the gauntletz, you don't need green health to blow stuff up.

[peekaboo]

I HaTe that cotton-picking bridge and those cotton picking stone headed gruntz! Pleeeease, Pinkgoo, take pity on me on your next one. Give me something in those tight spots to whack the enemy, at least a few times before it breaks or something. Timing and so many enemies is killing me.

PS: I've been in Brownwood. Lots of relatives in Texas.

[Pinkgoo]

Oh, really? What kind of puzzlez do you prefer?

[peekaboo]

Is honesty required in that question? Here goes:

I like the kind that make you think; much more than a fast action puzzle. I like to puzzle it out. GooRoo's are my very top favorite because he makes you study on it yet gives a logical and clear (clear, once you figure it out) direction to get thru it. Don't mind a battle or so and don't mind those "hurry your hinny thru here or die" games. That is, as long as you have a fair chance to get thru it.

I don't like walking all over a map looking for something that has no clues to where it might be. Those are a waste of time. Clues are vital to a game.

Don't care for those that are simply battle after battle and/or so tightly timed that they are almost impossible to accomplish without trying twenty times. I prefer to have an equal chance to fight back if there are quite a few enemies.

Difficult timing and almost impossible situations are my big turnoffs.

Stepping on a "?" switch and having no clue whatsoever of what it does is unfair. Some people put the answer to the '?' on the other side of the map or some other trick. It's irritating but not so that I would quit a game. Just irritating.

Quirky, unusually devious/different, visually attractive, etc ; those are great. A game needs something going for it to really grab my attention. But it has to be fair to the player. It can be hard, easy, medium, short, long, average; it doesn't matter as long as the player can fairly finish it and get that feeling of exhilaration and accomplishment.

Your game is imaginative and the bridge is really neat but it is too hard for me. I'm not speaking for anyone else because there are probably many who will really like the fun of racing thru it. Everyone has their own ideas of what is fun; each to their own. Also I've not gone thru the right hand side yet and there might be something there that I can use, so really at this point, I shouldn't say it's too hard until I check it out.

BattlezM'z are nifty games but sometimes there's an awesomely fast, hard part I can't finish and it leaves me feeling cheated. (He does, however, try hard to help out any player that's stuck.) Anyway, that's just me. Like I said, each to their own.

You seem to care what the player thinks. Thank you for asking my 'likes'.

[Pinkgoo]

I, too, like puzzlez that make you think, rather than you having to get through a gigantic rolling ball maze, or some tightly timed silver pyramidz. I also like cluez, such as non-essential arrowz, that point to secretz.

I try to think of the player when designing my levelz. However, I also try to include a little bit of everything in my levelz, so that the playerz, as a whole, can enjoy them.

[BattlezM]

The one sort of puzzle that I don't like is having a puzzle that you need to lead a grunt through 3 or more timez, it can get bothersome (if it'z a tough puzzle).

[peekaboo]

Ditto on that when the trip is long and hard! And usually it'z for nothing special, like a single coin or even an empty rock.

[SwordGrunt]

My opinion is that extremely hard timing puzzlez are the thing a level must not have.
But I don't like too easy puzzlez, where you know exactly what to do and how to do.
I also hate puzzlez that you have to think for dayz and still don't find the answer (like Günter's levelz).
You know what to do, but don't know how to do, I like that.

[GooRoo]

"BreakingTheBank" has exactly one tight timing puzzle ... the Pinkgoo Bridgez with all of the Rock-throwing and Shield Gruntz. Earlier I typed "Beware the Pinkgoo" for that reason. Yes, I had to re-start the puzzle at that point several timez before I managed to make it through, and yes, the solver has to go through the area at least twice (I couldn't manage to have Gauntletz survive on his own). But there are a few pointz where the solver can SAVE along the way ... right after all of the nearby Rock-throwerz have just thrown, and need to 're-charge'. Gauntletz doez not have enough destructive potential to defeat three Shield Gruntz, even if he managez to avoid ever being hit by a Rock. Once, I managed to have a single Sword Grunt get past all three Shield Gruntz, disposing of all of them in one pass. Most of the time it took one, disposing of two of them, and simply running around the third, and a second Sword Grunt to finish off the third one. And Gauntletz going through the Rock-throwing crowd to break the Rock and get the prize. One time, I actually sent two resurrected Gruntz through the gauntlet to get Bombz. It is also possible to have a Sword Grunt (or two) pick up the Bomb(z) on their pass through the area. The worst choice is to have Gauntletz pick up a Bomb ... he can greatly reduce the number of Gruntz who have to make a kamikaze run.

[peekaboo]

The top portion of the game is where you most need the bomb gruntz and I keep running out of bombz. I never used the gauntletz for the bridge until the last where he needs to break the rock. And I gave a swordz gruntz one of the bombz. Don't remember who got the other, probably a BH. That was one hard bridge for me but it's doable. Finally. It took many many more tries than you used. I haven't finished the game yet. My my, gotta get back to that game. I will try again on that bridge with the swordz swiping the rock gruntz. Thanks for the tip.


Edit : I meant hit the shield gruntz.

[BattlezM]

I really got hassled with the bridge in some spotz. The shield grunt weren't too huge a problem. Sometimez they ran into the pyramidz. Other timez I backed up and had them get hit by a rock.
I ran out of bombz though, I wasted 2 against the rockz near the north .

[Pinkgoo]

You'll need your Swordz Gruntz to dispose of some "guardz" in the "bank". Once you think that you won't be able to use your Swordz anymore, go through the teleporter to retrieve bombz.

You'll also need to break down some of the brickz with your "friendz".

A tip for the bridgez, it's a good idea to save along the way, mainly where you are safe from the rolling ballz.

[peekaboo]

Battlez, how did you get the shieldz to run into the pyramids? I could only get one smashed by them. My timing must be off on this bridge cuz when I tried to back up I would get hit by a rock.
Do ya'll hurry thru this part or is the timing the important thing?

Edit: Hey Pinkgoo. Woo, I like your game. You have another under way? Leave out the bridge, lol.
Seriously, It's a little different style and I liked puzzling it out. Thank you for the game.