Welcome, Guest. Please Login or Register
YaBB - Yet another Bulletin Board
 
Welcome
to the Actionsoft Forums!


New to the forums? Go ahead and register! Why register? Click here to find out the difference of being a guest and a member. After you're done, go here to learn how to start posting. Make sure you've read and agree with the rules of posting here!

The forums is run by three administrators. Read here who they are and what you may (and may not) expect from them.

Actionsoft's latest game, Midnight Mansion 2: The Haunted Hills,  includes 28 mansions. The 8 Built-in mansions have 3 difficulties along with 4 extra custom mansions. We don't have that many other custom MM2 mansions yet. Design your own custom mansion! Info below.  You can find out more about the game here.

The original Midnight Mansion game contains over 150 mansions. The 8 included mansions which have 3 difficulty levels each, and about 115 approved custom mansions which you can download here and also several freely uploaded mansions. To know the difference between these three types of mansions, click here.

Are you a creative person and thinking of designing a mansion yourself? Or want to know about how to upload it? Click here and we'll show you! You'll find guidelines for betatesters here.

News:
Midnight Mansion 2: The Haunted Hills version 1.0.2b has been released. This fixes a bug in Jasperlone Mountains Hard. Simply re-download the game, bring over your custom mansions folder from the old version and play on. All your saves and high scores will not be changed.

Midnight Mansion HD (MM1) is now available at the Mac App Store and at the Actionsoft website. A Windows version is now available.

Here is a list of downloadable MM1 HD ready custom mansions, which also work in the Windows version of the game.

The MM2 custom mansion Hanging Gardens of Babylon by Freddy/SandyBean/Josephine/brell was updated on 19. Nov 2023 to add a fourth section. Available here


  HomeHelpSearchLoginRegister  
 
Pages: 1 2 3 
Send Topic Print
What are Secrets? (Read 20860 times)
ryos
Explorer
Offline


Colorado, USA

Posts: 243
Utah, USA
Gender: male
Re: What are Secrets?
Reply #10 - 22.04.2007 at 11:52:20
 
Would you consider plot exposition a secret? Because I do. Hmm...

Don't mind me, nothing to see here. Please move along.  Undecided
Back to top
 

"Fun game: try to post a YouTube comment so stupid that people realize you must be joking.  (Hint: this is impossible)" -Randall Munroe
 
IP Logged
 
Alan Falcon
Wanderer
Offline



Posts: 85
Vegas, baby
Gender: male
Re: What are Secrets?
Reply #11 - 31.01.2008 at 02:39:16
 
I think MM should have a "Secret" sound, as in Zelda, that tells you "Yes, you found something secret!" -- the only issue I'd have with this is that it adds more "pressure" for the Designer to choose the best spot for the
S
since players would then know exactly when they earned it.  I personally like the idea of the
S
being in an area where you enter a room, but I often end up placing it on the coin reward in the secret room/area just to be absolutely sure players aren't able to jump over it on accident or anything.   Shocked  This would change if there was a sound because then I could test it and easily know when I hit the
S
, and I'd want players to have the "Zelda"-like experience of hearing the Secret sound as they passed through the hidden wall or emerged in a secret room.

Personally, I like secrets to have coins in them.  Just a map, or just a backback, or just a shield are okay I guess, but then it is possible to get 100% score and NOT 100% secrets, and I honestly don't like seeing that on the High Scores list.   Cry  Here's looking at you, Packman302, Shandi, and Unhuman.  I wish I knew how you did it so I could fix it.  Embarrassed  Seeing that makes me think you found a secret area and got the coins and managed to *not* get the
S
which would be entirely my fault.   Undecided

Anyhow, there are some thoughts of mine on the subject.  Now it is definitely time for a nice warm Smiley.
Back to top
 

-------> Original Designer of 'Falcon Manor', 'Chateau de Medusa'
-------> Now making iPhone games at FalconEmpire.com
WWW  
IP Logged
 
Alan Falcon
Wanderer
Offline



Posts: 85
Vegas, baby
Gender: male
Re: What are Secrets?
Reply #12 - 31.01.2008 at 20:22:54
 
Alan Falcon wrote on 31.01.2008 at 02:39:16:
Personally, I like secrets to have coins in them.  Just a map, or just a backback, or just a shield are okay I guess, but then it is possible to get 100% score and NOT 100% secrets


So I followed my own advice here as I've been going back over Falcon Manor and updating some things.  I think now it would be impossible to get 100% score without also finding 100% secrets.  I could be wrong though.  I found also, going back, that I have been fairly inconsistent about what I marked as a secret and what I did not mark.  I tried to fix some of that, but I found that certain areas that I marked as "secret" in the Normal version of the mansion just didn't feel like they should be marked in the Hard version.  I wonder if anyone else feels the same way -- are the very obvious and easy "walk through walls to get this" secrets worth putting an
S
?  What about in the "Hard" version of a mansion?
Back to top
 

-------> Original Designer of 'Falcon Manor', 'Chateau de Medusa'
-------> Now making iPhone games at FalconEmpire.com
WWW  
IP Logged
 
Chippy
Treasure Hunter
**
Offline



Posts: 814
Switzerland
Gender: male
Re: What are Secrets?
Reply #13 - 01.02.2008 at 02:34:52
 
It's not easy to make a good secret that the player not can easy find it... You must make already a hint that there can be a secret  Smiley
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Alan Falcon
Wanderer
Offline



Posts: 85
Vegas, baby
Gender: male
Re: What are Secrets?
Reply #14 - 01.02.2008 at 08:21:21
 
Chippy wrote on 01.02.2008 at 02:34:52:
It's not easy to make a good secret that the player not can easy find it... You must make already a hint that there can be a secret  Smiley


That's a good point, Mikee.  I think my favorite kind of secret is one that you can see in one room, but have to access from another room -- and there are no obvious hints in the other room.  You have to remember that there *should* be a passage there, because of what you originally saw, and then try to get to it.  This way there is still a clue, but it isn't overly obvious.  

That said, I actually like secrets that are fairly obvious.  As a player, it is a lot of fun to see a wall that is shaped differently and think "huh, I wonder if..." and then go walk right through it into a secret room.  It may be obvious and everyone may find that particular secret, but I still get to feel smart for finding it.   Cool
Back to top
 

-------> Original Designer of 'Falcon Manor', 'Chateau de Medusa'
-------> Now making iPhone games at FalconEmpire.com
WWW  
IP Logged
 
Chippy
Treasure Hunter
**
Offline



Posts: 814
Switzerland
Gender: male
Re: What are Secrets?
Reply #15 - 02.02.2008 at 00:24:40
 
Find a Secret =
NORMAL
Roll Eyes
Make a Secret =
HARD
Tongue Smiley
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Toybox
Treasure Hunter
**
Offline



Posts: 561
Kiel, Germany
Re: What are Secrets?
Reply #16 - 02.02.2008 at 03:42:31
 
I globally agree on Alan's analysis, except on one point which I will explain later. Specifically, I like a lot Secrets which are visible but not accessible from another room, and then not hinted again (but accessible) from somewhere else - and obvious secrets, just to make those who miss it feel guilty  Tongue


But I still think Secrets might need not have any money in them. I might change on the subject, though - but if 100% money => 100% Secrets, then it is a bit frustrating for some reason: I like both scores to be independent.

Oh, and I'm still no better at locating Secrets - hidden rooms or in general hidden places you might not stumble upon by chance are likely to be branded with the blue S, hidden money (or whatever else) which you could reach by chance are likely not to. Then again, that's just guidelines rather than rules.
Back to top
 

profile picture 'The Book of Secrets'
(c) Marta Bevacqua http://m0thyyku.deviantart.com/
WWW  
IP Logged
 
Chippy
Treasure Hunter
**
Offline



Posts: 814
Switzerland
Gender: male
Re: What are Secrets?
Reply #17 - 03.02.2008 at 23:29:10
 
For
Secrets
its better you make money there  Cool

So, you must give the player a chance to become more money when he did find a secret. But you can make too a shield or something...   Smiley

But for me is only a good secret, when i find in the secret money, so i have then mor fun!  Cool Tongue
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Anthony
YaBB Administrator
*****
Offline


Nova Scotia, Canada

Posts: 1367
Canada
Gender: male
Re: What are Secrets?
Reply #18 - 12.02.2008 at 10:31:25
 
~~~Example~~~

Best idea to put cracked walls or something that could harm jack (like a pit of lava, or a zapper beam, or a monster) that is put beside an ordinary looking wall, so it gives the play a hint on secrets. If you want secrets to be SECRET, then don't do this, just make players try to climb down floors or jump against walls all the time hoping to jump into one.

Heh, that would be cool. If you're looking for a secret, but you jump into a wall, and fall down into a snake pit. Tongue

Look at this: Cracked walls covering the secret. You could add normal blue brick (layer 6 though) and some cracks to give a little hint. Make sure you put the blue "S" where Jack is going to walk to get the first secret money bag he finds. Players have to walk over the Blue "S" to make the secret effect in your overall % at the end.
Back to top
 

secret.png (32 KB | )
secret.png

Anthony Duchesne ~ Original designer of Castle Basano, Leofani Manor and Jasperlone Mountains
Anthony AnthonyDuch http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=590111070  
IP Logged
 
Chippy
Treasure Hunter
**
Offline



Posts: 814
Switzerland
Gender: male
Re: What are Secrets?
Reply #19 - 12.02.2008 at 18:13:48
 
ehm wingy, i can't see the "
S
"
in the picture, where's the secret hmmm??  Roll Eyes Wink
Back to top
 
 
IP Logged
 
Pages: 1 2 3 
Send Topic Print