New custom MarbleBlast level

#1 I had to leave before I could really get into playing it (I didn't pass it). But what I played thus far was really cool.

The one thing I would mention is that I think the curves could use a few more polys. Right now, bouncing just a little off can totally ruin your run up the ramp, unlike the smooth rolling you get on maps like Upward Spiral.

However, that's a very very minor ease-of-use issue. I am going to go back and play that baby right now. Congratulations, it looked very professional!

#2 Not bad at all. As he said, it might be nicer if the ramps were a little smoother, but it works. Good work!

#3 Thanks for the feedback :) I had fun making this level and have lots more ideas for new ones. Your right that the ramps could be smoother but I will have to hone my skills in Hammer and or quark. I had heard that Alex, one of the devs has some tricks for making smooth curves. Maybe he would be kind enough to share some of his secrets here with us. BTW my best time on SkyHook is 1:15

#4 47.36 seconds here.

#5 And within 2 minutes, I shorten it to:

37.96 seconds.

wewt.

#6 Man, thats FAST. pretty pathetic when you can beat the level maker :)

#7 Great level Larry! The half-pipes were one of my favorites in the regular game, but this takes it to the next level :) Everything works well and it's fun to play. My time is 1:31.90.

#8 Neat level - tough to master at first.

Luc, how did you get that time?! It seems almost impossible as I can barely make it to the tornados before 40 seconds...

#9 Well, my rule of thumb time-wise was, if I didn't get to the gem right before the tornados on the right edge of the platform before 30 seconds, I start over.

So I hit that at around 29 seconds. The trick is to get the tornado to swing you around on to the far-side ramp, aimed at the diamond and power-up above it. It can be tough because the tornados aren't NEARLY as predictable as other influences like a fan, since they lift you off the ground and pull you but then you skid on the ground and slow down, or you bounce, and that completely throws off the trajectory . . . plus, the physics aren't entirely deterministic (is that the word) anyways, so even if you could do the right thing at the right time, it might not always work out the right way just because of simple imprecisions and rounding and clock cycles and 'refresh' stuff in the physics and other stuff that's way too complicated for me to understand fully.

The biggest thing is also to get through the mine field at a good time. Oh, and also, to hit the speed powerup before you hit the ramp -- otherwise it will bounce you out of being 'stuck' to the ramp and it will waste your momentum.

I think I have got my first thingy imported into DIF -- it's a vaguely U-shaped ramp! Huzzah! Time to make a full level now. :)

#10 Right on! Can't wait to see it. I am still struggling with quark so I continue to use WorldCraft (Hammer) I am starting to get weird lighting effects after I import the shape. Not sure whats going on but who knows.

#11 1:17:79 here. Great level!

#12 Help !
On my Mac, the qualify time is 00.00.00 sec, so no way to win SkyHook !
Is there an update or something like that ?

#13 just getting thru is a win :) no need to qualify as it won't stop you from progressing. If it is competition you want then you should get the high score mod and compete with other players.

#14 I think I have posted this elsewhere in the forums, but I'll post it here as well as it was mentioned (albeit some time ago.)

What I used in Quark to get the pseudo-curved surfaces for Marble Blast (levels such as upward spiral and the half-pipes) was the "commands-> make prism" tool. You can specify an inner and outer radius for your curve, and the number of sides (I think the curves in Upward Spiral had 128 segments for a full circle and the pipes in Pipe Maze had 32 sides)

The important thing is to check the "make slices" box, or it will ignore the interior radius and make your prism solid.

#15 Re-Help !
On my Mac, the qualify time is 00.00.00 sec, so no way to win SkyHook !
Is there an update or something like that ?

Larry, I've send you a mail with a capture screen if the WON level.
And as you can see, SkyHook has a qualify time of 00.00.00 on my mac.
I don't want to compete, I want to be listed in my scores.

Thanks for making levels, Larry

#16 i'm on osx how do you install the map i don't underdtand

#17 You must control-click (right click) on the MarbleBlast OSX application and select Show Package Contents. From there the directory structure is exactly the same as the PC installation directory.

Garage games should really have MB check tha Application Support folder for new maps. This would be the correct way to do this in OS X, but this works too.

#18 On linux the qualify time is also 00:00:00, guess it is the same for all platforms.
I am just competing with my brother so it would be nice to have the time saved anyway.

#19 here is an updated version that has a qualifying time

Click Here to get it.

#20 Could somebody give me a hint on how to get up the first big ramp? When do you activate the super speed power-up?