Dear fellow mansioneers:

I like to mention that I'm almost finished with a new (1.0.9.) mansion, called "The Void".

It will be a normal-to-hard mansion, without custom graphics and pretty straightforward.....but.... slightly bizarre.

It has a goof "exploring factor"....Jack will have to climb and crawl and jump and slide a bit more than usual to find the Inner Sanctum of The Void.   8-)    :-?

To wet your appetite, I'll be adding a screenshot later....

yeah aqua i can't wait for it  8-) ::)

Now...here's a screenshot.
It shows an overview of the central area (without giving too much away).  ;)   8-)

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aquaMat wrote on 05.02.2008 at 22:17:34:

Now...here's a screenshot. It shows an overview of the central area (without giving too much away).  ;)   8-)

Color me intrigued!

At the moment, THE VOID is in version 0.9.2 and is already being beta-tested by two members of our forum, while I'm putting in the final design touches (like perfecting backgrounds etc.).

It's safe to say: it's as good as finished and I hope to be able to send it to Freddy for release in 4-6 days.

Stay tuned.   ;)    8-)

Beta-testing of THE VOID is finished.
(Thanks again Carol and Rose !!)

The new mansion has been sent to the admins for official release earlier today !!

The Void is out  :)

Wow, that was super-fast !!

Thank you, brell !!   ;)  :D

Haven't finished yet; that's again a mansion for acrobats! (I just reached the Void if you are curious about it.)

Still I must report a few cheap deaths I encountered on my way (I won't say anything about the numerous expensive ones ;))

- #14500, if you exit through the top left bit and re-enter you run into a scorpion;

- # 14502, I lost a Jack in the lava cascade and then just thought that it was not possible to cross it. I don't know why it was so, it didn't look intentional.

- # 14698, do we have to sacrifice a Jack? I thought it was bad manners  :-/

Toybox,

I have tried to avoid "really cheap" deaths in this mansion, though I admit there are a few instances where the player must take good care.
I wouldn't call them cheap, though (especially when compared to what we have seen in some other recent mansions).

But first to room # 14698, where you believe a life has to be sacrificed.
This is not the case.
I knew this disussion would come up, though..... as I used a lttle "gimmick innovation" in this room. (Originally I had planned to put up a BBB in this room explaining how to manage that bit without sacrificing a life, but there wasn't enough room for a BBB).

That's how it goes:
If you walk very slowly, one step at a time, Jack is able to "walk on lava" until he reaches the lever. (I advise to try pulling the lever carefully after every step, so as not to miss the "earliest point" where this is possible.
Once Jack has pulled the lever he must quickly jump back on safe ground (i.e. the nearest brick or platform).
If you're really careful this is possible without losing a life !!
I found that cute and innovative enough to include it here, even if it means some players will lose a life or two until they have figured out how it's working !!

Now to the other rooms:

Room # 14500:  That was an oversight..... but since it only happens when returning (what you're returning for anyway, buddy  :D  ;D), I wouldn't call it a cheap death (as it was unplanned).
I will put the scorpion one step further down in the next update.

Room # 14502: It is perfectly possible to jump "in front of" that lava stream. Normally you shouldn't die there. Maybe you jumped too early, or too low or something ?!?
LATER (edt.): I just took a look.... there was one remaining bit of lava in layer-4, but only below jumping height. Apparently you walked too close to the lava before jumping. I have now removed that bit, so that only layer-5 lava remains.

Thanks for playing THE VOID. I hope you have fun.

The innovation: Ah yes, I forgot to jump apparently  :-[ Well, that's at most one life lost.

And the scorpion, um, I wasn't suggesting you put it there as a trap (if only because you don't have time to realise you're being trapped, which spoils the fun ;)) but just something which was left a bit out of place.

The other deaths (the 'expensive' ones): I agree they are (so far!) essentially just tough places, so no complains about it  :D (I'm trying hard not to say anything about the zapper beams  ;))

This mansion was SO MUCH FUN!!!  ;D I liked that there were several ways to arrive somewhere, but only one correct path.

I'd like to be a fuddyduddy and point out a couple of JS:

1) Room 14498. If you jump off from the bottom right hand corner (where the ladder is), you wind up stuck in the top left portion of 14699.

2) Room 14501. My Jack is very curious and jumped onto the topmost stone at the bottom left. He was stuck and had to commit suicide. Curiosity killed the Jack, but a cheap death in my opinion...  :)

Finally, here' s a doozy for you. Jack was a bit too enthusiastic in chasing the purple key in room 14901, went right through the ceiling in room 15101, and landed on the vine, safe and sound!!!!!!!!!!  Needless to say, he'd missed too much of the mansion to be able to finish without having gone through the rooms he missed. So, I'd perhaps lower the ceiling in 15101 (or something) to make enthusiastic key diving result in death.

Great mansion, thanks!

Arevn

hey aqua, that looks like very cool!  :)

Toybox wrote on 12.02.2008 at 04:37:22:

The other deaths (the 'expensive' ones): I agree they are (so far!) essentially just tough places, so no complains about it  :D (I'm trying hard not to say anything about the zapper beams  ;))

I absolutely agree.....know what you mean....
I had a long fight w/ myself over whether I should leave the one mean zapper room (the one with the vine inside the zappers) as it is......
and finally decided YES..... ('cause - as always - there's a pattern to it, a method to the madness, and once you know it, it becomes easy).... and to make it less frustrating I piut the added save pedestal right next to it.
8-)     ;)

arevn wrote on 12.02.2008 at 05:11:36:

This mansion was SO MUCH FUN!!!  ;D I liked that there were several ways to arrive somewhere, but only one correct path. I'd like to be a fuddyduddy and point out a couple of JS: 1) Room 14498. If you jump off from the bottom right hand corner (where the ladder is), you wind up stuck in the top left portion of 14699.

Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't know it (as of course, jumping from there isn't "intended"). However, when I just tried it, Jack ended in the room below, but was immediately finished off by those "flying heads" and was born again safely in room 14498.
So I tend to leave it as it is..... especially as there isn't enough room to build a hidden wall or something.
Edit (later): Did build a hidden wall now, although it considerably takes away some of the "danger factor" of that particular spot. Will be in next UD.


arevn wrote on 12.02.2008 at 05:11:36:

2) Room 14501. My Jack is very curious and jumped onto the topmost stone at the bottom left. He was stuck and had to commit suicide. Curiosity killed the Jack, but a cheap death in my opinion...  :)

Honestly..... here I tend to agree with your "Curiosity killed the Jack" remark..... especially when I come to think that you had to kill the snake first to be able to get up there...Gee, you must be really curious. There's a reason why the snake is there....   ;)
(Maybe I can do something about that in a future update.)


arevn wrote on 12.02.2008 at 05:11:36:

Finally, here' s a doozy for you. Jack was a bit too enthusiastic in chasing the purple key in room 14901, went right through the ceiling in room 15101, and landed on the vine, safe and sound!!!!!!!!!!  Needless to say, he'd missed too much of the mansion to be able to finish without having gone through the rooms he missed. So, I'd perhaps lower the ceiling in 15101 (or something) to make enthusiastic key diving result in death. Great mansion, thanks! Arevn

Wow, interesting. This is very strange though. I don't understand how he could "fly" through the ceiling in room 15101 ??!  I have also included a couple of zappers in the ceiling, but not over the whole length.....  but in all those places where there was "standing room" left (= the lower grey ceiling bricks).  I'd never thought that it was possible fro Jack to sail through a closed ceiling. Doesn't sound logical to me....although I understand why this is so.

Unfortunately I cannot change the ceiling in 15101... it would destroy the whole design of the "Inner Sanctum". I can only try to include a (maybe hidden) floor or zappers into the room above (14901) which would equally result in Jack's death.

Thanks for telling me....and also thanks for the nice positive remarks. Have fun with the rest of The Void !

aquaMat wrote on 12.02.2008 at 20:40:13:

Honestly..... here I tend to agree with your "Curiosity killed the Jack" remark..... especially when I come to think that you had to kill the snake first to be able to get up there...Gee, you must be really curious.

I was really, really, really stuck/desperate!!!  ;D


Quote:

Wow, interesting. This is very strange though. I don't understand how he could "fly" through the ceiling in room 15101 ??!

The first time it happened was purely by accident, but I was able to recreate it several times.!

BTW, I'd finished the mansion when I posted my comments, and did so with 95% secrets! I got 100% secrets on my second attempt!

Areven

Need hint in Rm 14497.  Is Jack really supposed to jump down on the moving brick with no room to maneuver from above?  He's tried jumping from the opposite side too with the same result -- death.   :'(  Loving The Void as far as I've gotten, which isn't very far.

Hi Jackie,

I'm not quite sure I understand your question ?!?

If I should guess.... maybe what worries you is that to get onto the moving platform you have to perform what we call a squirrel jump:

This is done by simply jumping off of the lowest bit of "sand-colored" ground in the center of the room directly onto the platform going under it, by the help of the arrow keys (during jump).  It's importanmt to not jump too late.

Although I still don't understand what you mean by "no room to maneuver from above" but I guess that this is what you mean ?!

PS: Indeed, the opposite side doesn't work....!

Thanks for playing The Void..... and have fun with the rest....!

Congratulations, arevn !!   :D   ;D

100 % during your 2nd trial....that's very impressing !!

I'd never have guessed that anyone would manage that so soon...!!  :o

aquaMat wrote on 13.02.2008 at 06:31:03:

Hi If I should guess.... maybe what worries you is that to get onto the moving platform you have to perform what we call a squirrel jump: This is done by simply jumping off of the lowest bit of "sand-colored" ground in the center of the room directly onto the platform going under it, by the help of the arrow keys (during jump).  It's importanmt to not jump too late. \

aquaMat,
Thanks for a speedy reply.  The squirrel jump is new to me.  I guess we are talking about the same room but sand-colored to me means gray.  The platform that goes up and down and the lowest ground is light brown.  I have tried the squirrel jump several times with no luck and it's hard to get there with very many lives left to use for practice.  Maybe I will have to put it on hold until I get more skillful. :-[

aquaMat wrote on 13.02.2008 at 06:34:07:

Congratulations, arevn !!   :D   ;D 100 % during your 2nd trial....that's very impressing !! I'd never have guessed that anyone would manage that so soon...!!  :o

You have no idea how many times I had to restart and try a new path before I could get through the  double purple doors, so all that exploring knocked out a lot of secrets!

My biggest mistake on the first try was to hit that last lever.  ;D

Arevn

[quote author=Jackie link=1201883684/15#19 date=1202863462]
Thanks for a speedy reply.  The squirrel jump is new to me.  I guess we are talking about the same room but sand-colored to me means gray.  The platform that goes up and down and the lowest ground is light brown.  I have tried the squirrel jump several times with no luck and it's hard to get there with very many lives left to use for practice.  Maybe I will have to put it on hold until I get more skillful. :-[/quote]

Jackie, I don't jump. I simply 'drop off' the ledge and immediately hit the arrow button to get onto the moving platform. It'll take you a few tries to figure out how far Jack can walk before falling so  you can time when to press the arrow, but once you get it, you'll get it every time.

Cheers,

Arevn

Thanks arevn!  That should help a lot.  I was hitting the space key to jump out and then pressing the arrow key. Back I go to try it again.

Jackie,

when I said "sand-colored" I meant the same brick that you called "light brown".  I just called it "sand-colored" because I didn't have a better word.... those bricks are in German "Erde" which is the ground we walk on in, say, caves or in the wood....and I simply don't know the correct English word for it.

If we're exact they're not bricks at all..... it's just due to the nature of the game that the "ground" is also made of bricks.

BTW: In the expansion pack we will see much more perfect tiles for that, which even give the illusion that they're not bricks anymore.

Hi, aqua and arevn

I finally made it to the platform and am pleased to know how to do the squirrel jump. Thank you for your help.  Part of my problem was lack of lives before getting there, mainly due to not being able to make the big jump in a previous room. Decided it was my space key and took it apart to clean it out.  Not any better.  Hooked up another keyboard and the same thing.  Apparently it isn't the machine's fault.   ;D

aquaMat wrote on 13.02.2008 at 20:22:40:

those bricks are in German "Erde" which is the ground we walk on in, say, caves or in the wood....and I simply don't know the correct English word for it.

Erde does mean ground/earth/soil. I know about six words of German and this is one of them.  :D

(Are any of us native English speakers??? LOL)

I can't wait for the expansion pack! Sounds like the graphics are going to be awesome!

Arevn

Groovin' arevn,

of course I know that the literal translation of ERDE is earth..... but this is a different thing, as Erde in German actually means 2 different things:

1. Earth, as in "the planet Earth"

2. The stuff of which the GROUND is made of..... like the brown stuff you put into a flower pot so the flower can grow in it.... and I guess there must be a better word for it than GROUND....

and that was the word I was lookin' for, you know !

Usually I'm very good at the English language.... I read English books just as fast as I do German books, and I usually watch films in their original version.... but this one leaves me "speechless".   ;)   :D

I know there is a word..... and I've probably heard it often enough....but I just don't know now.

To make that long story short..... the brick we were talkin' about is that "ground - colored" one (substitute ground with the correct word).
;D  

Edit - 5 seconds later:  Ooops, stooopid me. I was reading too fgast over what you've written.... as you've said it already: SOIL.

(Although I doubt that we can call the brick in question the "soil-colored" brick..... so maybe there's still another, better word ?!)

Jackie wrote on 14.02.2008 at 04:56:47:

Hi, aqua and arevn I finally made it to the platform and am pleased to know how to do the squirrel jump. Thank you for your help.  Part of my problem was lack of lives before getting there, mainly due to not being able to make the big jump in a previous room. Decided it was my space key and took it apart to clean it out.  Not any better.  Hooked up another keyboard and the same thing.  Apparently it isn't the machine's fault.   ;D

No, no, Jackie......
it's really only a question of practice. It took me (and probably anyone else here as well) a while too, before we were able to do a smooth squirrel jump. So don't worry.

I reckon you're pretty new to MM anyway. So it's very brave of you to try to cope with THE VOID yet, and even finishing it !

I know it took me months until I started to try my luck at the HARD mansions (and it was not before I had managed all NORMAL ones).

OK all you Void masters - I need a hint in room 14305. I get to the top of the tower with the red doors at the bottom. I find the invisible platform at the top left, but can't seem to go anywhere from there. All I can do is go down the pole and get a yellow key that I can't find a door for. Help!!

Thanks, Nancy

No no, we haven't forgotten The Void!

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nancygevans wrote on 29.02.2008 at 08:04:24:

OK all you Void masters - I need a hint in room 14305. I get to the top of the tower with the red doors at the bottom. I find the invisible platform at the top left, but can't seem to go anywhere from there. All I can do is go down the pole and get a yellow key that I can't find a door for. Help!! Thanks, Nancy

Since you reached this room, it means that you have passed much, much trickier ones  ::)

So you said you found the platform: do you mean, the moving platform? If so, the way is pretty straightforward (no, really!) If not, I guess this will count as a hint  ;)

Hi Nancy,

thanks for playing The Void, first of all !

Toybox basically already gave you the important hint. I'll try to get a bit more precise without spoiling it for you and other players:

(This answer is based on my presumption that by "platform" you meant "hidden floor", rather than "moving platform" !)

You have arrived at the top of the "red tower".... and you have also discovered that there's something at the left, haven't you ?
Also you collected the yellow key on the return trip down...!

So if you have checked the way down already, discovered the "exit" to the left and you see that there's nothing at the right side.... what option (=direction) does that leave you ?
You should ask yourself that..... and together with Toybox's (very direct) hint of a (spoiler: )  "platform"..... you should soon figure it out.

Obviously you have overseen one (spoiler: )  switch...!

You are very close to the finish...... I'm pretty sure you'll make it !

And thank you Toybox for the kind remark.

Hi aquaMat,

I am now playing your CM-The Void.....I have to tell you, that this is one freaky mansion!  (I mean that in a GREAT way.)  hee,hee.....

LOVE THE CREATIVE PUZZLE, but I have one question.  

The vertical zappers in room 14898, which are horrible long & tough to get thru, well, what is the purpose of shutting them off AFTER you finally get thru those suckers with all of Jacks lives?!

also, room 14305 after Jack gets the pittance of gold (hee,hee), it's a real nightmare getting off the vine & onto those teeny weeny blocks.  Perhaps, if Jack could collect more gold, he wouldn't die so fast at such a nasty jump.  You can't see Jack jump off the vine to gauge the jump.

I finished with only 90% secrets my first try.  Did I miss a real pot of gold or ...

EDITED to avoid spoiling playing fun: red 'text' ;D is from the admins on request of Missy

Missy wrote on 01.09.2008 at 04:01:43:

Hi aquaMat, I am now playing your CM-The Void.....I have to tell you, that this is one freaky mansion!  (I mean that in a GREAT way.)  hee,hee..... LOVE THE CREATIVE PUZZLE, but I have one question.   The vertical zappers in room 14898, which are horrible long & tough to get thru, well, what is the purpose of shutting them off AFTER you finally get thru those suckers with all of Jacks lives?!

Well....I know it's a bit mean that you have the impression that you can only switch 'em off after you invested all the hard work of getting thru them.....  BUT: There is a serious reason for that.....

- Since I know it's a pretty hard spot I thought I better include the possibility to switch them off for those players who want / need to pass the zappers a second time....for example because they need to backtrack, or they want to get back to the save pedestal (because they haven't yet saved) or something like that. Because having to pass the active zappers TWICE would be really too much...!  8-)


Missy wrote on 01.09.2008 at 04:01:43:

also, room 14305 after Jack gets the pittance of gold (hee,hee), it's a real nightmare getting off the vine & onto those teeny weeny blocks.  Perhaps, if Jack could collect more gold, he wouldn't die so fast at such a nasty jump.  You can't see Jack jump off the vine to gauge the jump.

Well...sorry about that. It's hard but it's quite manageable with a little practice....


Missy wrote on 01.09.2008 at 04:01:43:

I finished with only 90% secrets my first try.  Did I miss a real pot of gold or ...

90% is really good for a first try, believe me !!
And yes, the room above is the only one.....BTW, the fact that you wrote this so openly is a spoiler, I'm afraid.....for those who haven't yet played The Void..... as it is actually a bit of a "secret gold chamber".

Next time I'd prefer you would write things like that in white color or something.

Good luck for finding the remaining secrets.....   ;)

And BTW....the amount of secrets found does not necessarily have a relation to the amount of money found or how many treasure chambers a mansion has....  even if most secrets contain one or more hidden coin(s), it doesn't have to be like that (at least not in my creations).

SPOILER EDITED by the admins.

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