04-21-2010, 11:16 PM
Leofani Manor - Normal
Maybe i was a bit too hasty in my comments for the Easy mode. I do preview them before I post, but maybe I should avoid posting in the middle of the night.
I do see a progression from Easy to Normal, but I still think the Sky Platforms might be a bit too much for the Easy version, and there wasn't enough of a difference between the Easy and Normal version for that particular section. My comments here are a bit suspect though, because of my preference for progressively larger mansion layouts given the level. I think it heightens the perception that each of the mansions are distinctly different. I probably won't complain about this in future posts.
One thing that's definitely surprising me with the mansions I've played so far is that in general they seem to be harder than I recall the mansions being in the original game (at least the included mansions)
I made it all the way through without having to resort to reopening to a save point, but I'm probably atypical. Newer players will probably have to reopen the game lots of times in some areas - especially the Sky platforms. It's just too easy to take a wrong (and fatal) step. I was able to get all the keys, and open all doors, and again (as in Basano) I found a greater percentage of secrets in the Normal than the Easy mode (though still not 100%). Also, as with Basano, I had fewer comments on rooms in the Normal version. I didn't have any Stuck Jacks, or Cheap Deaths. Stupid deaths, maybe, but that was all me.
My Comments on various rooms:
16097 - Yep, I think the trick with the Money Bag (from Easy) is more appropriate for this level than Easy.
16696 - Good. I really liked this one.
I may end up retracting some of my comments about Easy if Normal maintains this level of challenge. Enough to make me fear what Hard is going to be like...
16697 - Took me a few tries to get this one. It was pretty precise. I wonder if the key and last money bag should have been swapped to make the key *slightly* easier to get to, but still dangle some prize out there for those wishing to get everything.
16700 - I hate those crazy squares, yet I had fun with this room. Go figure... maybe I'm just getting used to dealing with them.
15905 - Was your intent here to only have the small falling platform, and leave out the two that appear on Easy mode? Not sure if you need all three for Normal mode.
[Later - I tested this by taking away the two larger falling platforms in MMB, and leaving the small one. Still doable, and more of a challenge and probably appropriate for room that isn't very difficult now]
16906 - Wow, that really throws you up in the air when Jack jumps up while on a platform moving up. I really wasn't expecting to go up into the ceiling! Haven't see any traps that require this high jump capability yet, but imagine that I will eventually...
16904 OK - I'm officially not a fan of hidden keys that pop out of thin air ;-) This is a dynamic that I'm still not used to in the new MM game.
I thought I was stuck looking for a red and blue key. I had all the rooms visible in the map that I could get to, and it didn't look like I had missed anything. I was stuck behind the doors in room 16106. I'm not sure how I missed 16904 - it showed that I had visited it on the map, but I completely missed the hidden keys in this room.
I spent a considerable amount of time looking, and finally resorted to cheating with MMB. This is the first issue that really irritated me in any of the mansions... so far. To be fair, I'm not sure if I'm irritated at the room or at myself for missing it.
[I revisited this section after i finished the mansion. I realize now how I missed it - I'd found the hidden treasure in the upper left corner, and I recall wondering what the bat mobiles were for, but I instantly forgot all about it and moved on. So I had visited the room and the map showed it, and later on I completely overlooked the room. This whole incident made me realize how much I rely on the map. ]
One last note - are you supposed to only exit this room from the upper left passage? I was unable to exit the way I came without losing a Jack.
OK.. enough about this room, I only focused on it because it cost me so much time ;-)
16108 - Small nitpick - No sign of a way up to Sky platforms from this room though the message indicates up.
15709 - Is the correct way to climb down and jump to the left using the ladder. That's a pretty tricky maneuver, that might be a bit rough for this level. Then again, the whole mansion has skewed slightly harder from what I expected.
It will be interesting comparing the Hard version. In Castle Basano, it seemed to me that there were lots of new sections that weren't present in Easy and Normal levels. I wonder if that will be the same with the Hard version of this mansion.
What I may do for future mansions, is work a small section of each and compare that rather than play all the way through on one level. I don't know, maybe I should record movies of the sections...
Maybe i was a bit too hasty in my comments for the Easy mode. I do preview them before I post, but maybe I should avoid posting in the middle of the night.
I do see a progression from Easy to Normal, but I still think the Sky Platforms might be a bit too much for the Easy version, and there wasn't enough of a difference between the Easy and Normal version for that particular section. My comments here are a bit suspect though, because of my preference for progressively larger mansion layouts given the level. I think it heightens the perception that each of the mansions are distinctly different. I probably won't complain about this in future posts.
One thing that's definitely surprising me with the mansions I've played so far is that in general they seem to be harder than I recall the mansions being in the original game (at least the included mansions)
I made it all the way through without having to resort to reopening to a save point, but I'm probably atypical. Newer players will probably have to reopen the game lots of times in some areas - especially the Sky platforms. It's just too easy to take a wrong (and fatal) step. I was able to get all the keys, and open all doors, and again (as in Basano) I found a greater percentage of secrets in the Normal than the Easy mode (though still not 100%). Also, as with Basano, I had fewer comments on rooms in the Normal version. I didn't have any Stuck Jacks, or Cheap Deaths. Stupid deaths, maybe, but that was all me.
My Comments on various rooms:
16097 - Yep, I think the trick with the Money Bag (from Easy) is more appropriate for this level than Easy.
16696 - Good. I really liked this one.
I may end up retracting some of my comments about Easy if Normal maintains this level of challenge. Enough to make me fear what Hard is going to be like...
16697 - Took me a few tries to get this one. It was pretty precise. I wonder if the key and last money bag should have been swapped to make the key *slightly* easier to get to, but still dangle some prize out there for those wishing to get everything.
16700 - I hate those crazy squares, yet I had fun with this room. Go figure... maybe I'm just getting used to dealing with them.
15905 - Was your intent here to only have the small falling platform, and leave out the two that appear on Easy mode? Not sure if you need all three for Normal mode.
[Later - I tested this by taking away the two larger falling platforms in MMB, and leaving the small one. Still doable, and more of a challenge and probably appropriate for room that isn't very difficult now]
16906 - Wow, that really throws you up in the air when Jack jumps up while on a platform moving up. I really wasn't expecting to go up into the ceiling! Haven't see any traps that require this high jump capability yet, but imagine that I will eventually...
16904 OK - I'm officially not a fan of hidden keys that pop out of thin air ;-) This is a dynamic that I'm still not used to in the new MM game.
I thought I was stuck looking for a red and blue key. I had all the rooms visible in the map that I could get to, and it didn't look like I had missed anything. I was stuck behind the doors in room 16106. I'm not sure how I missed 16904 - it showed that I had visited it on the map, but I completely missed the hidden keys in this room.
I spent a considerable amount of time looking, and finally resorted to cheating with MMB. This is the first issue that really irritated me in any of the mansions... so far. To be fair, I'm not sure if I'm irritated at the room or at myself for missing it.
[I revisited this section after i finished the mansion. I realize now how I missed it - I'd found the hidden treasure in the upper left corner, and I recall wondering what the bat mobiles were for, but I instantly forgot all about it and moved on. So I had visited the room and the map showed it, and later on I completely overlooked the room. This whole incident made me realize how much I rely on the map. ]
One last note - are you supposed to only exit this room from the upper left passage? I was unable to exit the way I came without losing a Jack.
OK.. enough about this room, I only focused on it because it cost me so much time ;-)
16108 - Small nitpick - No sign of a way up to Sky platforms from this room though the message indicates up.
15709 - Is the correct way to climb down and jump to the left using the ladder. That's a pretty tricky maneuver, that might be a bit rough for this level. Then again, the whole mansion has skewed slightly harder from what I expected.
It will be interesting comparing the Hard version. In Castle Basano, it seemed to me that there were lots of new sections that weren't present in Easy and Normal levels. I wonder if that will be the same with the Hard version of this mansion.
What I may do for future mansions, is work a small section of each and compare that rather than play all the way through on one level. I don't know, maybe I should record movies of the sections...