Arena of Apokua v1.2

[Moderator]

Vengeancekael -
Date: 2012/May/10 22:23:04

Reasons:
Other:
Check out the tutorials section: Tutorials
Check out the Map Development Section: Map Development Section
Check out the World Editor Help Zone (Trigger issues, object editor, overall WE issues): WE Help Zone

Comment: [Approved]
Some things have been changed, including a new soundtrack, new hotkeys and improved tooltips.
Rating changed to 4/5 from 3/5.
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Old Moderations (Vengeancekael@-Kobas-)

Vengeancekael -
Date: 2012/Apr/08 20:47:04

Reasons:
Other:
Check out the tutorials section: Tutorials
Check out the Map Development Section: Map Development Section
Check out the World Editor Help Zone (Trigger issues, object editor, overall WE issues): WE Help Zone

Comment: [Approved]
Just updating the moderation with a link to the review.
Review

Admin Contact - Resource Moderation - Rules

09:00, 29th Aug 2011
-Kobas-:
Status: Approved

 

[Vengeancekael]

Hmm... A SINGLE PLAYER ARENA MAP, OH I AM PLAYING THIS BELIEVE ME

 

[APproject]

Hmm... A SINGLE PLAYER ARENA MAP, OH I AM PLAYING THIS BELIEVE ME

Hehe, don't expect much, it is quite simple and got nothing special about it.

 

[Vengeancekael]

Here, don't expect much, it is quite simple and got nothing special about it.

Well that's quite depressing

edit:

Review:

Gameplay:

Well gameplay-wise it really isn't that special, you just fight incoming waves of bandits, etc., but you can choose between 3 specializations, fire, frost and shadow I think. The character has custom spells, really useful ones and they all have nice special effects.
There are also a lot of custom items, with really cool looking custom icons which just make you wanna buy em all.
However I think it gets pretty boring when you have to wait 2 minutes I think, for a wave to start. And the worse part is the start, when you're waiting for the first wave to start, you don't really need that much prep time.
It would've also been neat if the spells' hotkeys were bound to QWER.

Terrain:

The arena looks amazing, a lot of custom models have been used and it looks pretty realistic and gripping. The only thing that didn't fit so well were the bridges, they are a bit in the air and even in the intro, you can see things below the bridge.

Other:

*Add a custom loading screen, this is a single player map, the file size is not a problem
*Add a custom soundtrack maybe
*Improve the spell tooltips: Shorter text, colorize the 'cooldown'
*Show how many unis are left in the multiboard
*Show a game message when a wave starts, telling you which units you'll be facing

Overall:

The map is very polished, terrain-wise that is, however the gameplay lacks some special features.

Rating: 3/5

 

[APproject]

@Vengeancekael

Thanks for the review and the rating.

However I think it gets pretty boring when you have to wait 2 minutes I think, for a wave to start. And the worse part is the start, when you're waiting for the first wave to start, you don't really need that much prep time.

Maybe you are right, it is quite too long, but my intention was to nable player to take his time at a very beginning, because he gotta read spell tooltips, item descriptions. I may reduce the preparation time, even though very last waves contains only 30 seconds preparation time.

It would've also been neat if the spells' hotkeys were bound to QWER.

Will be done. You see, I never use hotkeys, so I put them randomly, just not to confuse each hotkeys, hehe.

The only thing that didn't fit so well were the bridges, they are a bit in the air and even in the intro, you can see things below the bridge.

Well I got a problem here. Some bridges are little up the cliff while other ain't! Somewhy it happens and I have no idea how to fix it. I may hide these holes with doodads perhaps. I choose bridges, because a simple ramp wouldn't look really charming.

Add a custom loading screen, this is a single player, the file size is not a problem

It is not, but some people might still complain about its size due to Dial Up connections, I had complains before, when I had uploaded a Single Player map which was 11 MBs size. Since then my goal is to keep it low sized.

Add a custom soundtrack maybe

Would be cool, but it might double or even tripple file size. :/

Improve the spell tooltips: Shorter text, colorize the 'cooldown'

This might be the key to shorter preparation time.

*Show how many unis are left in the multiboard
*Show a game message when a wave starts, telling you which units you'll be facing

This could be done, but it would make game.. Hmm.. How to say it.. Too much mini-game-like I think. I rather keep it in secret to make waves unexpectable very first time playing, even though they are very familiar to each other.

Anyway, thank you for you reply. I might improve it within time. By the way, any ideas how to make gameplay surprising, special, unique? Right now gameplay itself is quite boring, I agree, but it is based on difficulty, how you deal with enemies, how you manipulate your abilities and you get to know new abilities once specialization is being changed. Well, there issue about incoming bandits is quite incorrect. You might see bandits only in 1/10 wave, not anymore, because basically each wave got different units involved.

 

[MrStormyZ]

gameplay is pretty slow
and it's kinda laggy too, those yellow bushes that you see in the 1st cinematic could use a replacement with a high resolution one but yet might cause even more lag

waiting time for 1 round is too long (and that too when you don't have enough gold for anything for the vault)
how about some command like -go -start ?

Cinematics were good, great camera movements, decent scripts

Spells were alright I guess, though I just used the Fire Mage for a few rounds
need to see how the other 2 are

still the overall can be alot better, waiting for an update

 

[APproject]

@MrStormyZ

Thanks for the reply.

it's kinda laggy too, those yellow bushes that you see in the 1st cinematic could use a replacement with a high resolution one but yet might cause even more lag

Hehe. It is not the bushes that cause lag to you. It is overall amount of doodads placed within visible range. That small area of arena contain 7200+ doodads. It really depends on the power of player's computer. Playing it I have no lag at all, only slight lag while second cinematic is running to an end and camera is being shown from very up high. To prevent this, I believe you should reduce game resolution.

and that too when you don't have enough gold for anything for the vault

That amount is for you to take your time and read spell tooltips and item description, anyway, in v1.1 time have been reduced. By the way, you are not supposed to have many items while playing. I suggest to have 3 maximum, rest for potions. Well you have played only few battles, so you might get one item after 3rd or 4th battle if I remember correctly. This means you cannot have all items, you have to choose.

Anyway, soon gonna be updated with some minor changes.

 

[Kino]

Love this map.

But there is one very glaring exploit.
Fire and Shadow mages can teleport back into the start zone once a battle begins, thus melee units cant even hit you.

 

[APproject]

Love this map.

But there is one very glaring exploit.
Fire and Shadow mages can teleport back into the start zone once a battle begins, thus melee units cant even hit you.

Thanks.

Oh sh*t! How could I have missed it!

 

[D a w n]

ice mage was my favourite, but only reached wave 4or 5 with him :/

 

[APproject]

ice mage was my favourite, but only reached wave 4or 5 with him :/

Hehe, it is my favorite as well, but it is hardest of all specializations I think. The key to win would be: always try to delay as much time as you can to summon more and more frost elementals.

I'm glad you tried out my map, thumbs up for your models.

 

[Rao Dao Zao]

This is a pretty cool map. Atmospheric.

I got to the end of level 5 with Fire before the boss thing tore me a new one.

 

[ccbb1]

Great map.It has great custom terrains and spells and you can see the item u buy is on the hero.I got best with ice 9/10.the dino cannon or whatever is called i think it is too imba,and the below lane the house keep on blocking me is annoying and i can't see the enermys if they are going through there.I rate this map 4/5.Hope u improve on this map further and i may do a video on this map soon

 

[APproject]

This is a pretty cool map. Atmospheric.

I got to the end of level 5 with Fire before the boss thing tore me a new one.

Thanks. You should give it another shot, it always helps me to overcome the failure for example.

Great map.It has great custom terrains and spells and you can see the item u buy is on the hero.I got best with ice 9/10.the dino cannon or whatever is called i think it is too imba,and the below lane the house keep on blocking me is annoying and i can't see the enermys if they are going through there.I rate this map 4/5.Hope u improve on this map further and i may do a video on this map soon

Well done with frost, hehe. Try to delay time to summon more elementals and save game after each battle, so you could stick to it, I think you know it well already What do you mean by saying blocking you? I may improve it sooner or later. Video sounds exciting, I'm glad you liked my map!

 

[ccbb1]

i mean the building is blocking my view to see enermys coming

 

[anpoca]

Your map was looking very nice until I tried to learn the 1st skill. When I clicked on the skill selecting icon, the game fucked up and I couldn't play anymore. (maybe the fact I am playing or trying to play on a Mac is related)

 

[APproject]

Your map was looking very nice until I tried to learn the 1st skill. When I clicked on the skill selecting icon, the game fucked up and I couldn't play anymore. (maybe the fact I am playing or trying to play on a Mac is related)

Cannot help you on that. Try to redownload. Also, you didn't give a proper reason to rate my resource 1/5.

 

[anpoca]

Cannot help you on that. Try to redownload. Also, you didn't give a proper reason to rate my resource 1/5.

My reason was because the map got fucked up. I already redownloaded twice. It still doesnt work. In fact, many of the maps I download at hiveworkshop crash, so in fact, you at least deserve a 3 for the opening cinematic (walking is quite realistic)

 

[APproject]

In fact, many of the maps I download at hiveworkshop crash, so in fact, you at least deserve a 3 for the opening cinematic

No one else had complains about crashing and you blame my resource, because it crash to YOU? You rate resource 1/5 because of your own problems? Sounds like a typical downrate or just something's wrong with your Creative Mind.

 

[SpasMaster]

God, I love that map!

I just played it with Frost Mage. Sadly I could reach level 4 when I died and some things to do showed up. I will put a small review now. Still, I might put a bigger review later on.

[-] - Negative treats. (Things you should fix/improve)
[+] - Positive treats. (Things that are just fine)
[n] - Neutral treats. (Things that can be better, but still work well)
- Suggestions. (Me trying to help you out with something)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[-] I have no idea when the wave will end. You could make a Text Message appear at the beginning of a wave that says what creeps will spawn. That way I will know if it's about to end. A better way to fix this is with multiboard that tracks the number of units currently in the arena. Of course, both will be the best ^^.

[+] Nice intro cinematic.
[+] Custom icons/models make a nice feel. Good job!
[+] Feels refreshing. I know there are other arenas out there, but this feels fresh.

[n] I wish there was a way to understand what spells each specialisation has. I know it is impossble with Dialog, but still...
[n] The minimap can be reduced to show only the arena. In map options - camera borders.

Floating damage texts would be an awesome addition here. I am using pretty neat and easy to use ones, so if you are intereseted I will show them to you.
You could place some terrain traps. Example: If you step in the fire you get burned a bit. Would be better.
You can colorize the tooltips, it will be great! It's really simple. Here it is: Quick Colorizer by Pyritie

Overall it's great. Would love to see it improved. 4/5, +rep

 

[TheWhiteWolf]

Nice map, but nothing special. Rating 3/5 and +Rep from me.

ur att
Try improving your tooltips. Instead of


Enflame
Deals 15 fire damage per second after your attack

you could write this:

Enflame

Type: Passive
Effect: Damage over time

Damage: 15 per second
Duration: 5 seconds
Stackable: Yes/No
Mana Cost: n/a
Cooldown: n/a
Description: Instead of brute melee attacks, Fire Mage hurls thick bolt of fire at enemy units. Every enemy who gets hit with these fireballs will be ignited and experience searing pain every second.

 

[Petza]

Hi!
I just found a bug. If you use Unpenetrable Ice Block (or it was called something like that) right before the start of a round, you won't be able to move out of the starter area, and will remain there for the round.

 

[APproject]

Thanks for the previews, guys.

Hi!
I just found a bug. If you use Unpenetrable Ice Block (or it was called something like that) right before the start of a round, you won't be able to move out of the starter area, and will remain there for the round.

Ah, you're right. Currently I have no possibilites to update though, but it might get fixed within next update. Thanks.

 

[Vengeancekael]

Rating changed to 4/5 from 3/5.

 

[DeathKing12]

Dude nice now i wont to be playing online with idiots saying do this do that Great!

 

[APproject]

Rating changed to 4/5 from 3/5.

Woah, that's nice even though I do not believe it is worth it though. Thanks.

Dude nice now i wont to be playing online with idiots saying do this do that Great!

Hehe, I guess online and single player have its own pros and cons. Check out my other projects for more single players maps, of course if you feel interested.

 

[Alfagar]

Solo arena, Kewl!
The arena looks awesome with all the customization but those arcs of stone really don't fit in between all the new stuff!

 

[CoLd Bon3]

I like the map.

For the terraining i give : 5/5
Spells : 4/5 because the three types of spells (Frost, Fire and Shadow) are kinda same - all the three types have a teleport and a summon spell (for example)...
It's exciting, for that i give : 5/5
It's way too hard, i have restarted it 4 times and i have reached maximum Battle 2/10... for that, i give : 3/5
The map is for a single player, i give it : 5/5 (i LOVE single player maps)

Overall : 4.40/5 - the map is good! Nice job!

+rep = given

 

[gilthoniel]

Great map loved it but i cant beat the final boss i am a frost mage but i cant find the right strategy i used the runes of blasting fire all frost staves and heling potions but he still beats me. Wild and cold spell is awesome very powerfull minion killer. Just like the rest of your maps ,minions are more dangerous than bosses (i am mrstardust91 on youtube so you maybe remember me) and the wave seems endless. Maybe i should ignore creeps and just focus killing the Boss. Musics are very good by the way

 

[APproject]

Hey. Thanks, yes you should focus on boss as his death may end everything if I recall correctly.

 

[gilthoniel]

Hey. Thanks, yes you should focus on boss as his death may end everything if I recall correctly.

I screwed up again and this time it was worse the healers heal him very good
and i discovered that if i act fast i can dodge his ensnare spell with imp. ice block did anyone win this map with frost

 

[SeedinAethyr]

Arena of Apokua is a singleplayer arena. It takes a decent amount of time to finish, and it is also quite hard. The player is provided with three specialties for his hero to use at the beginning, Frost, Fire, and Shadow. Each has its own ups and downs. All abilities for the heroes are well thought out, and all have nice special effects, a detailed tooltip, and a nice custom icon. The terrain in the arena is simply amazing, and it is a wonder that you could fit so many doodads into a small area like that. However, there is a problem at the south end of the map. The buildings block the view of the player, making it very hard to see unless the player uses Delete or Insert. In a hard arena like yours, the player is concentrating totally on the battle, and wants both of his hands free for movement clicks and spells and such, and therefore cannot press insert or delete. There aren't many items in the map, but they are well made. However, some players will likely choose not to use some items, such as Nitro Boots. Who cares about those? Fire sorcerer has blink, Frost can slow, and I have not tried Shadow yet. The boots give no other abilities, and I think it is a waste of money, especially when you can get a twelve intelligence staff that restores three hundred fifty mana every minute and a half for the same price. The battles in the arena are good but hard, and there are a lot of custom models. However, I think battle nine is too hard for the Frost Mage. He doesn't have enough heavy damage spells to take the Kodo Gladiators down. Battle ten is also incredibly hard. I couldn't beat it, and when I cheated to beat it (I'm so sorry APproject!) there was a very anti-climatic victory. "Don't kill me!"
I give this map a 4/5, because it is very good, but some things could be improved.

 

[deepstrasz]

2.5/5.

There's a bug that kills the hero (I've played with the frost mage) when pressing ESC durin cinematic mode, I think.