Vehiculation A puzzle map using Rocket Race Bound to every vehicle. Can you escape? With the release of my previous puzzle map "Ghostman" being quite a success, I was faced with a dilemma. While I wanted to make a sequel to continue the map series, there was only so much I coudl do with Ghosts & Humans. Then, I discovered something. Vehiculation is a puzzle map using the Rocket Race gametype. What makes this different to Ghostman? Well, see for yourself: That's right. Vehiculation supports EVERY VEHICLE. And, just to make it even sweeter, the last vehicle you enter will become your new companion. You'll encounter Mongeese, Banshees, and even the odd turret or two. But all of this comes at a cost. These vehicles are as clingy as the ghost, but they're not chasing after you. They drag you back to the vehicle like a lovesick magnet. There are ways to make them come crawling to you, but you'll have to figure that one out. Hints for Vehiculation: > The last Vehicle you touch will warp you to it once the counter runs down. > There are ways to make your vehicle come to you. > There are no checkpoints. Be wary of explosives and drops. Be warned; While Vehiculation is by means incredibly difficult, the puzzles are based around game mechanics you may not have been aware of. Don't be afraid to experiment. Puzzle 1: Afraid or heights?! You're coming up whether you like it or not. Puzzle 2: Disguises rarely fool me. Puzzle 3: (Not shown) Nobody is crossing that pit of blue. Puzzle 4: Probably about as simple as you think. Puzzle 5: (Not shown) Is this even a puzzle? Puzzle 6: (Not shown) Asteroid field! That's a far as hints are going. Recent Screenshots is being a *****, so you'll get screenshots of later areas soon enough. Enjoy.
well mark as bieng like the first person to complete this aside from you, i have to say this. This mark was epic, its a great sequal to ghost man and loved the challenges. To anyone else reading this i srs recomend that you give it a try, its epic....
As soon as I get my ***** of an xbox fixed I'm going to download this. I enjoy puzzle maps and am really looking forward to what you have in store for me. I just hope it's not too hard. I also really like that you allowed us to use vehicles in this, that will be very interesting...Great job man. I'll be back with some feedback when I can get my sexbox....I mean xbox working
Wow this is a cool idea with all of the vehicles. I never tried your ghostman puzzle but I am definitely gonna DL this one and give it a go.
Good call, it's actully for one person, although multiple people won't break the game. It just makes it easier on some puzzles.
Unfortunately, yeah. I ran out of ideas, items and teleporters, so I had to rap it up there. The jetpack is an anticlimax, I'll admit, but it was the best I could given the circumstance.
Prepare for a wall of text! I played your first race puzzle map and I liked the concept but it was all very basic. I feel that with this new map you've improved and come up with some more interesting and varied mechanics. The switch to Rocket Race worked well here and you've really tried to embrace the unique tools this gametype presents. The map is relatively short but I like that. I've come to believe that shorter puzzle maps are the way to go. Produce quality over quantity with your challenges. So this map is a nice length and I'd aim to stick to that for future puzzle maps; I assume and hope you're going to make more! Now it's not all sunshine and roses. I'm going to really pick apart this map because I think both it and you have great potential, and I hope my advice can help. Here are my observations and improvements: Accommodating other players Obviously this is a solo puzzle map and is intended for one player, but it's worth trying to accommodate the fact that people will want to play the map in a group. Many puzzle players (myself included) like to work on the map with other people. I don't mean like cheat and jump off each others' heads. I mean just being able to look at the puzzles and work them out together, but still perform them individually. Try to bear this in mind when constructing your map. The first thing you want to ensure you do is make the first challenge room relatively large and place plenty of spawn points for players to spawn on. That way when 4+ players load up the map they all get to spawn in the starting challenge, rather than out in the Canyon of ForgeWorld. In your Vehiculation puzzle map I couldn't really play it with 4 people on the map because there were only 2 spawn points for us to respawn onto. The other thing to be wary of if you want to accommodate extra players is cramped areas. For instance, your starting room is very cramped if you have more than one player with a vehicle in there. When I did manage to get all 4 of us into the starting room there was just nowhere near enough space for any of us to accomplish anything. By making that starting room a little larger it would remedy this issue. Like I said, obviously the map is for solo play, but that doesn't mean other people can't be in the map too, as long as nobody cheats. So try to allow people to play together because very few will want to play the map completely on their own. Checkpoints Oh boy, not a single checkpoint was in this map. Depending on the map, you can almost get away with no checkpoints, but if you have challenges that can kill you then you really need to structure the map in such a way that you can either implement some form of checkpoint system, or place all the challenges that kill you at the beginning of the map. In this map you could die. On three separate occasions I died, one of which was the second to last puzzle! having to start all over again at that point is unnecessarily frustrating. Another one was past the half-way point, which is still too much back-tracking. You've got two options here: You either redesign the map so that the challenges that can cause your death are right at the beginning of the map, or you implement some form of checkpoint system. This map could (just) get away with one checkpoint at the mid-way point, but two would be better. If you don't have a teleporter pair free to create a checkpoint then you can always use a prioritised spawning technique to create a checkpoint (if you don't know what this is, then feel free to PM me). Rebuilding this map to put the death-inducing puzzles near the beginning isn't too practical with it already finished, but it's something to consider when you work on your next puzzle map. Ask yourself "am I going to create puzzles that can kill you?" If you're not using checkpoints then put those puzzles at the beginning next time. Breaks/Testing Breaks ruin puzzle maps. You want the player to use YOUR solution for the puzzle, not devise their own, and you certainly don't want them skipping out your challenges altogether! The way to catch these breaks before others do is through testing and thinking outside the box. In this puzzle map I found several breaks, most of them involving one simple technique and a bit of patience. I'm not going to list them all out here but I will upload a video to my fileshare later today so you can see them. I also have recommendations on how to fix them if you want my help, but it might be best to figure out the fixes yourself, for practice. Breaks are tricky to spot, especially on your own as the puzzle maker, because it's easy to get "tunnel vision" and only see your challenges and solutions in the way you set them out to be (happens to me all the damn time). It sometimes takes someone with a fresh perspective to look at your map and spot things you didn't, or things you took for granted. What I'm saying is that you want people to playtest your map before you release it. Ask people on your friend's list to help test with you. Try and get a range of testers, some that know how to play puzzle maps but also people that aren't familiar with them too. Forge Hub even has a Tester's Guild where you can get people to test your map before you release it, if you want an outside perspective. Testing will not only help you unearth breaks but it can also improve the playability of your map. Is there one challenge that people keep getting stuck on? Is it maybe too hard? Is there a particular puzzle that is too easy to figure out? Take feedback from your testers and see how you could tweak the map. Make a really difficult challenge easier, make a frustrating challenge less tiresome, make an easier challenge more of an actual challenge, add/move a checkpoint here, etc. Woo, good times! I hope I've not just put you off puzzle maps. I do really like what you've done with this map and also that you're trying to push boundaries by using different gametypes. I just feel there are some other aspects of a puzzle map that you need to consider if you want to push yourself that bit further and make a map that more people can enjoy. I'm certainly no expert, and I've changed my philosophy on puzzle map design a number of times. I've also not always adhered to my own advice. But I do think that what I've pointed out in this post are some fundamental things that every puzzle creator should try to bear in mind when creating a puzzle map to give players a great experience. Finally, thank you for reading all this! Or screw you if you just scrolled to the end right now.
Hm... this map seems to attract people who write loads. Anywho, you've attracted the attention of the Review Hub! Here you go: Vehiculation This section was written by Oli The G As a puzzle map, Vehiculation excels itself. Players will find themselves in awe at the way the creator of this map has pushed forge mode, and its respective gametypes, to the limit to create brand new, exciting and clever challenges. The fact that the majority of the puzzles in this map have never been seen before creates an incredible enjoyment factor that has to be admired. A common issue with puzzle maps is that they either vary too much and struggle to find their feet, or are so similar that they just fall flat on their feet. This is not the case with Vehiculation. Vehiculation is home to a good range of challenges, factoring in different vehicles which make this map a true winner. Having said that, towards the end the layout becomes repetitive; players drive a bit, overcome an obstacle, get off and change vehicle, repeat, and then go through a teleporter, which is rather boring. Not only that, but certain vehicles are very limited and the gameplay is underdeveloped. A good example of this would be the banshee section, which lasts a whole ten seconds. This is disappointing, especially as the banshee has so much potential in this map. As it currently stands, players hop on the banshee, fly past a couple of randomly placed rocks, and that is it. Not only this, but the weapons and physical stature of some of the involved vehicles has not been used. For example, there could be a forced use of the mongoose to get underneath something. In one section where players come across a revenant, it is just to hop from point A to point B, making no use of its characteristics or plasma cannon. This is very unenjoyable, especially when compared to the rest of the map, which otherwise uses vehicles in a way which is wholly entertaining and exciting. It seems as though the creator of this map has just thrown as much as possible in, without bothering to justify their implementation. On the other hand, many new game mechanics have been cleverly manipulated. This will leave players enticed, and generally pleased and intrigued at the gameplay on offer. The creator has factored certain mechanics into the puzzle, creating another layer of challenges that is undoubtedly entertaining. For example, one challenge involves players having to manipulate their mongoose to pass through to the next section without being warped back to it. This means that players will not be left frustrated like they do in other rocket race maps. Credit must be given to the creator on avoiding a common issue with the gametype. Also, because it is intended, players will think of how they can use it to their advantage, which will leave them pleased, and all the more immersed. Vehiculation has found a good balance in its difficulty level. It is not too easy, or too hard. This is what makes Vehiculation so entertaining and fun. Players will find themselves thinking their way through puzzles fairly quickly, but spending just over half the time on execution of their ideas. On most of the puzzles, this is a perfect, enjoyable formula to follow. But on others, it just does not work. Also, by sticking to and maintaining a linear layout, players can always look forward to facing a new, unseen, and exciting challenge every time they turn around the corner. Balance The concept of balance is different for a puzzle map compared to a competitive map. In this case, a balanced puzzle map allows players a fair chance of completing puzzles. Instead of player vs. player, it is now player vs. puzzle. The worst violation of this balance would lie in the non-existent spawn system. Since Vehiculation is based upon the Race gametype, it is understandable that the creator could not create a proper checkpoint system. Regardless, this is something to take note of. Every time a player dies they are sent back to the very beginning to repeat the puzzles all over again. No one can be expected to suffer like that, and players will quickly give up in frustration. Vehiculation has good balance between difficult and easy puzzles; however the creator has erred on the easier side. This has its ups and downs. On the positive side, most players will be able to complete it. However the game then fails to possess the satisfaction of overcoming adversity that one feels when they crack a complicated code. Although that detracts a little from enjoyment, the balance is still retained and players will not find themselves stuck or overly confused. In an ideal puzzle map, the player goes through each puzzle in the right order and with no unintended distractions. In Vehiculation, players cannot escape, cheat or manipulate the puzzles. In fact, some puzzles are possible to get past using several methods. This is possibly intended, but no particular method breaks the puzzle or makes it easier. Fortunately, Vehiculation has no clear faults in either the map or the gametype. In fact, the map is totally inescapable even though some pieces can look like they are falling apart. The starting weapons are also key to solving certain puzzles, and do not give players unintended advantages. When it comes to the puzzles themselves the player can rest assured that they all are possible to complete. There is nothing worse than a puzzle map with faulty puzzles. The ending, if anything, was the biggest problem. Without revealing spoilers, it leaves the player wondering ‘is this it?’ when most puzzle maps would offer some sort of sign. But even when the player reaches this stage, it feels like the flow of puzzles had run dry prematurely. And with such innovative gameplay, players will often want more. This map is not going to win a beauty contest anytime soon. Its creator has decided to keep the player on track without any visual distractions, however the odd decoration could not have hurt. On the other hand, the map does not look awful. There is not much going for it aesthetically, but there is little to detract from it either. At one point, the player enters a banshee. By doing this, the camera zooms far out while in third person mode. Since the banshee is placed in a narrow hallway, the camera pops out of the intended playing space and outside of the map’s internal boundaries. Whether this was intended or not was unclear, however what the player is left with the view of a very ugly landscape which juts around the screen randomly as the banshee knocks and scrapes against the hallway’s walls and obstacles. This is a large flaw and greatly detracts from the map’s visual aesthetics. Similarly, not long after this point, players are purposely placed in a room with a transparent, Grid ceiling. This is also reveals the outside of the building, which is not actually meant to be viewed. A player can not escape, but the impression this imparts is one of messiness and improper design. It’s not all grim though; the map does succeed in one area. Thanks to the simple layout, players can figure out the direction and order of the puzzles with ease. There is no point which leaves players confused until the end, and this is thanks to the layout of the rooms and puzzles. Some puzzle maps can tend to overlap on themselves and revisit certain areas. While that can add a level of enjoyment, it can also look messy and confuse players. This is where Vehiculation shines. Among most puzzle maps, Vehiculation is both inventive and original because of its manipulation with the rocket race gametype. Few puzzles use the ‘return to mongoose’ countdown to their advantage as a timer within specific sections. One could use a soft kill barrier for a similar effect, but with vehicles players can use “special methods” to prolong their time limit. There were many manipulations of glitches within the Race mechanics which creates such unique puzzles. Unfortunately such examples will not be listed, because part of the map’s enjoyment lies within figuring out these glitches through good old experimentation. However, some puzzles tend to mimic the style of previous maps. Some concepts, such as shooting explosives to free a teleporter, have grown stale and will only impress the player if this is their first puzzle map. Other instances which will not be mentioned use mechanics and tricks which almost everyone knows, and which pose no real challenge. Another unique addition is the players' ability to switch between different vehicles, although this can sometimes come across as a whimsical addition. For example when a player jumps into a Revenant, it is only used to get from point A to point B. The creator has neglected to use a key mechanic on the Revenant: the plasma cannon. Regardless, the different vehicles helped in the teleporter system which might only allow, for example, aircraft or light ground vehicles to pass through. Doors guarded by player-only teleporters clearly communicate with the player and tell them what they must do to pass through. This key aspect gives the puzzle map its own style and characteristic. It is only a shame that it was not exploited to its full potential. Ratings [floatleft]Enjoyment: Balance: Durability: Aesthetic : Originality:[/floatleft]7/10 7/10 8/10 5/10 8/10 Final Score Understanding the Review Hub's Ratings
I really enjoyed this puzzle, largely because i could actually complete it at a reasonable pace. The puzzles are interesting and intuitive, without being overly complicated. The gametype choice made it extremely interesting, and i learned a few new things about halo reach, which i didn't think was possible any more. The only thing i didn't like was the fact that it was single player, but i see you have taken care of that!