Lars Luron's WIP Topic

[Lars Luron]

Hey, all, Lars here. Looks like I'm going to have to start my WIP topic all over again, so here goes.

Here's the list of all my completed levels:

World 1-16: Mushroom Forest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk8sWK_MqgY
My very first level submission for MKF, although it's undergone a significant revamp for v0.5. Mushroom Forest is a Fusion level, combining the various fungi of the Mushroom Kingdom with the fantasy environment of Little Nemo: The Dream Master. It's also the very first Fusion level the player encounters, and so is a fairly easy level, with mostly basic enemies. The level takes the player through a towering forest of gigantic mushrooms, underground and through a rocky cavern, and up an enormous waterfall as they make their way towards the goal.

World 7-S5: Journey to Funkotron
World 7-S6: Funkotron Frenzy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk8sWK_MqgY
These two levels are referred to as the Funkotron Sub-Quest. Based on ToeJam & Earl and ToeJam & Earl 2: Panic on Funkotron respectively, they take the player on a funky quest to protect the planet Funkotron from a horde of Legion's minions.
Journey To Funkotron takes place in a bizarre landscape made up of floating chunks of land. Here the player must find the pieces to a wrecked Funkotronian spaceship that will carry them to their destination. Aided by a special compass system, the player will have to fight off a number of bizarre enemies such as giant hamster balls, ghost cows, money-stealing moles, phantom ice cream trucks, and kamikaze flying-carpet-riding ducks.
Funkotron Frenzy takes place on the planet itself, taking the player on a colorful journey through even more dangers than the previous level. The player will have to rebound off of bouncy fungus patches, balance precariously on floating pink bubbles, swim through underground waterways, and even take a shortcut through the Hyperfunk Zone in order to reach the goal.
-Note: Journey to Funkotron has been balanced a bit in preparation for v0.5. All the enemies have been rebalanced noticeably, and the overall number of enemies the player will face has been reduced.

World 6-9: Oedo Castle
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BPmtFiUXrU
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUGx6yb8zT4
Based off of the game Mystical Ninja 64 (also known as Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon), Oedo Castle takes the player through a Japanese Edo Period-styled castle, overrun with the festive members of the Peach Mountain Shoguns. The player must make their way through the castle, dealing with not only the Shoguns and their forces, but the multitude of deadly and bizarre traps built into the castle itself.

World 6-2: Mt. Sabre
Early WIP video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AxR6Hlxe_Q
An icy, mountainous level based off of the region of the same name from the NES game Crystalis. The player will have to brave the treacherous snowy cliffs and delve through frozen caverns, fighting through various RPG enemies in order to reach the exit at the summit.
For those who've played this level, the difficulty has be reduced somewhat for v0.5; the enemies have had their hitpoints rebalanced, and the number of enemies in some areas has been reduced.

World -1-1: Pibble Plateau
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QKhllw3gs4
Regarded as one of the most batshit insane levels in the game, Pibble Plateau is based off of the NES game Snake Rattle N' Roll, and takes the player on a trip to the summit of a bizarre-yet-colorful mountain. With items stored in underground "snake holes", and coins replaced with "nibbly pibbleys" that move around almost with a mind of their own, the player will have to keep their sanity in check as they face against hopping vinyl records, giant stomping feet, and man-eating... toilet seats... as well as a host of various retro enemies in order to reach the top and collect the flag.

World 1-S13: Mushroom Hill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsbosKdNZNw
An unlockable Fusion level in World 1, Mushroom Hill is a Fusion between the Mushroom Hill Zone from Sonic & Knuckles, and the forest regions from Super Mario World, and possesses traits from both. It is a large level, with multiple paths and plenty of hidden areas, making it perfect for players who like to explore.

World -1-6: Doh's Dimension
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_N5Rox5WHU
A partial redesign of the first level attempt by fellow MKF level designer Gladiacloud, Doh's Dimension is based on the arcade game Arkanoid, and possesses the same basic physics as such. The entire level is made out of small colorful bricks, many of which can be destroyed by either the player, or by one of the many tiny balls ricocheting all around the level. The player will need to watch their step, both due to the variety of "cyber"-themed enemies lurking around, and due to the fact that the very ground itself can be chipped away from beneath them.

World 1-S13: The Crossroads
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp7Y_d636YI
Probably my crowning masterpiece in terms of level design, The Crossroads is the Fusion level to beat all Fusion levels. The Crossroads is the point in the Mushroom Kingdom where Legion's Fusion effect is at it's absolute strongest, where the boundaries between worlds are at their weakest. Here numerous game worlds come together to fuse with the Mushroom Kingdom, making the level a massive conglomeration of elements from multiple games, with at least one area to represent every world in the game apart from 5 and 0.

World 6-1: The Sky Garden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bArxriIKrk
Based on the dungeon of the same name from the SNES game Illusion of Gaia (also known as the Illusion of Time), Sky Garden takes place on a mysterious ancient ruin, floating high above the Nazca Plateau. The level itself has a central sense of gravity, meaning that the player will have to traverse along not only the top of the grassy platforms, but also the underside as well. Just be careful not to fall, as it's a long way.... up.

World 1-22: Savage Stretch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQA5iY9rgUQp
My one and only purely original Mario level, and a hell of a one at that. Savage Stretch is the final stretch before Bowser's Castle, and Bowser is not pulling any punches, sending out wave after wave of tanks, cannons, and other tough Mario enemies, in order to prevent the pesky plumbers from reaching his stronghold. Don't let your guard down, this level will not take it easy on you.

World -1-8: Red Rock City
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2d2FsZvcno
A collaboration project between myself and former MKF level designer Pouncer, Red Rock City is modeled after a number of areas from Commander Keen: Marooned on Mars, the first in the Invasion of the Vorticons trilogy. The player will find themselves traversing a number of alien structures on the surface of Mars, fighting off various enemies from throughout the Commander Keen series, as well as various other enemies from classic MS-DOS games.

World -1-S1: The Minefield
[No video available]
The first and currently only optional level in the Minus World, the Minefield is a devilishly clever puzzle-based level modeled after the classic Windows game Minesweeper. Trying to rush forward will just get the player killed in a ridiculously explosive death- the key to victory here is logical thinking, studying the various clues to determine where and where not to step. If they survive, they will find themselves in a battle against a rather unexpected foe...

World 3-S2: Temple of Uranus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J85JLfWN-H8
No butt jokes, please. Temple of Uranus is an unlockable Fusion level in world 3, taking the orbital asteroid base of the Stardroid Uranus from Mega Man V (Game Boy), and combining it with both the orbital observatory of Galaxy Man from Mega Man 9 as well as the high-tech bases of the sci-fi shooter Turrican.
The player needs to fight their way through the alien "temple", fighting off hordes of Dr. Wily's robots, to eventually face off at the end against Uranus himself, who is sporting more tricks than in his original game...

World 8-1: Superflat World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWeZMSY9fVk
The first level in World 8, Superflat World takes the coalition through the world of Game & Watch- a world of only 2 dimensions. The player will have to face a number of peculiar monotone enemies and hazards in order to find the exit and access the rest of the Nintendo Subspace.

World 7-S6: Neo Tokyo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOkWos8G_ME
A re-imagining of one of Gladiacloud's earliest level attempts, Neo Tokyo is based off of the obscure Sega Genesis game Pulseman, taking the player through a cybernetic metropolis overrun with deadly robots. The player will also find themselves having to take a shortcut through cyberspace, which due to the tears in the fabric of reality, has become partially fused with the Cybernet of the Mega Man: Battle Network universe, and is now overrun with "virus" enemies.

World 5-S1: T'Leth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4IOWB5OrIs
The only unlockable level in World 5, T'Leth is an alien colony deep beneath the waters of Gehenna. Based off of the second game in the X-Com series, Terror From the Deep, the undersea base is packed with a variety of outlandish and hostile alien creatures not too pleased at the player's incursion into their territory. The level gradually gets darker and eerier the further down the player goes, forcing them to move cautiously to avoid stumbling into an unseen foe. They will need to gradually make their way to the very heart of the aquatic colony, where the entire alien force will try to stop them from destroying the Synomium Device keeping the entire base operational.

World 2-F3: Tiger Temple
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt3CGIvuNW4
Tiger Temple is the third Fortress level in World 2, located in India. It is a stylish Indian palace, filled with traps and hostile creatures to protect against intruders. Anyone entering the temple will have to brave deadly spikes, levitating ropes, flying carpets, and of course, tigers, as they make their way through the palace to eventually face off against the "Duke of India".

World 4-5: Darkstone Cemetary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oTH7iMXP8M
Modeled after the first level of The Castlevania Adventure for the Game Boy, Darkstone Cemetary is a run-down mountain graveyard overrun by various demons and monsters. Anyone who dares enter will have to make their way up the treacherous mountain path, until they find themselves face-to-face against the fearsome Sir Grakul at the summit, who guards the mountain path.

World 7-8: Collision Chaos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3-wFTBkMX8
Modeled after the level of the same name from Sonic CD, Collision Chaos is a colorful pinball-themed level unstuck in time. Using various Time Posts scattered throughout the level, the player will need to travel back and forth through the level's timeline in order to reach the end, and defeat Dr. Robotnik on his gigantic pinball machine mecha.

World 7-2: Bridge Zone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux-tBvs3fTI
A complete overhaul of the original Bridge Zone level found in MKF up until now. Unlike the previous level, this new Bridge Zone follows the original level (from the Sega Master System version of Sonic the Hedgehog) much more closely. At the end awaits Dr. Robotnik in his Egg Marine craft, which the player will have to defeat in order to continue.

World 4-S6: Volkmire's Inferno
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgxfrXWxlcQ
Volkmire's Inferno is possibly the hardest level I've ever devised. Based off of the level of the same name from the original NES classic Battletoads, the player will have ti fight their way through a hellish cavern packed with a huge number of bizarre monsters and creatures. When the cavern suddenly catches fire, they will need to quickly climb aboard an escape jet and make their way through a deadly aerial obstacle course in order to make their way to safety.

World 7-1: Green Grove Zone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrMpW3YTrp4
Based loosely off of the first level from Sonic 3D Blast, Green Grove Zone is the first level in World 7, and as such is designed to introduce the player to Sonic's universe. It is a compound level, combining different elements from numerous different starting levels throughout the Sonic franchise, and blending them together into something completely new. Dr. Robotnik can be found for the first time at the end of the level, piloting the Egg Tumbler, a 2D version of the first boss from Sonic 3D Blast.

World 8-S3: Snowdriftland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPiwmVit5Ps
A level originally planned by Weird Bananas, based on the Flash-style game UPIXO in Action: Mission in Snowdriftland. It's a fairly relaxed and easy-going trip through an icy sea, with a variety of simple, colorful enemies and multiple paths that can be taken. The player should be careful, though, not to slip on the icy terrain and fall into the freezing water below.

World 3-WB1: Wily Citadel 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK2iM-rR6vA
The penultimate level in World 3, where the Coalition finally meets the evil Dr. Wily face-to-face at last. But first they have to fight through the last stretch of his stronghold, avoiding treacherous hazards and fighting off a number of returning robotic foes. The last obstacle in the player's way is the infamous Portal Room, where they will have to face off against 8 robot masters from throughout the Mega Man franchise before they can finally fight against Wily and his deadly Wily Machine. What sort of battle awaits the player? That's a secret for now...

World 8-11: Awazon Caverns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4v3Q9GjtO4
Awazon Caverns is based on VB Wario Land, possibly the only decent game to come out for the entire Virtual Boy system. It takes place in a series of tropical underground caverns and ancient aqueduct-like structures. Each of the main areas requires you to find a key, in order to unlock the elevator leading to the next area. Being a Wario game, you can expect the level to be packed with TONS of treasure, much of it hidden in false walls and secret rooms and such.

World -1-S4: Neon Labyrinth
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_WietBmUBc" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_WietBmUBc</a>
A blast from the past, Neon Labyrinth is a retro gamer's dream. Find your way through a flashy Pac Man-style maze, filled with enemies from multiple classic arcade games. It's not all fun and games, though- you'll need to escape from the vicious Pac-Chomp if you want a chance to escape from this psychadelic labyrinth alive...

World -1-8: Battle for Dirt Hill
(Video shared with above level)
A collaboration project with Del, Battle For Dirt hill takes the player through the heavily-cratered landscape of the Worms universe, where the Worms are doing what they do best: blowing stuff up. You'll have to avoid landmines, exploding sheep, napalm air strikes, and fight your way through an entire batallion of Worms armed with a variety of zany and quite deadly weapons in order to continue your journey through the Minus World.

[Lars Luron]

And now, here's the list of all the unfinished levels I'm working on, that are currently in WIP status (works in progress).:

World 9-9: Planet Kerwan
Demo video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeU7lKhfY6E
One of my earliest level ideas, and the one that I've had unfinished for the longest time. Planet Kerwan is based on Metropolis, from the Ratchet and Clank series- it is a bustling alien city, complete with flying cars buzzing past in the background. While I'm still trying to work out a suitable level plan, there will be some areas modeled after parts from the original level, such as a ride along on the back of a futuristic hover-train, and a romp through the Captain Qwark Fitness Course. Enemies will include Blargs and Tyhrranoids from the Ratchet and Clank series, as well as other various sci-fi enemies.
Expect to get your hands on several of the series' signature weapons in this level, like the Bouncer, the Plasma Coil, and the Tesla Claw.

World 7-9: Lava Powerhouse
Demo video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmsegiCZj14
Another Sonic level, this one based off of the second level of Sonic Spinball. As such, you can expect a lot of pinball elements from it. Not to mention a lot of deadly lava. At the end will be a modified version of the Robo Boiler, the boss from the original level.
I'm still trying to work out a decent layout for this level. Once I have a decent idea of one development on this can resume.

I've got a few more levels in the works, but one of them is classified, and the rest I'm keeping under wraps for now. Expect more details on them in the future.

[TrinitroMan]

I already know, that you have got superior coding skills,...
...but that you would do a VB Wario Land stage...well, I didn't see THAT coming.

[Divadale]

Hey lars any chance of making a wip video of awazon caverns on your youtube channel 

[Din]

Awazon Caverns looks like a very interesting new level.  Though I've never played the original (for obvious reasons), I look forward to getting my hands on this.

[Keiang]

The work you've done really is impressive. Looking forward to more stuff.

[TheomanZero]

I find Virtual Boy Wario Land particularly fascinating since it helps bridge the sizable gap between Wario Land and Wario Land 2, in graphics and physics.  It's good to see it getting representation in MKF.

[Divadale]

you dont have to do this but maybe you should change the bg and tiles in the kerwan stage it looks a bit too cartoonish (unless that is what you wanted to do).

[Lars Luron]

Well, I think it's rather obvious that I haven't really been updating my WIP topic ever since my last update, what with all the work I've been doing on the Master Source and all. As tedious as it is, I can't really take a break to work on levels or anything, as that would delay the release of v0.5 for everyone.

However as the expression goes, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder", and the longer I find myself completely unable to make levels, the more of an urge I have to do so. By the time I'm done with the Master Source and v0.5 is finally out and done with, you can likely expect a sudden explosion of levels from me- I've been making so many preparations and plans for new projects it's ridiculous.

What I can do to hopefully keep you guys' interest piqued is to tell you a little bit about what I have planned once I'm finished with Master Source duty.

First up, I plan on finishing up Awazon Caverns, since it's already partway complete. I also intend to finally get some more major work done on Planet Kerwan- I've been putting off that level for far too long.

Next, there's a couple of existing levels I'm planning on going through that could use some reworking, namely ones by Pouncer and Weird_Bananas:
-Castle Wolfenstein
-Well of Wishes
-The Bitlands
-Arcade Factory
I'll give more details on my plans for those at a later date. There won't be any complete overhauls or anything though; they'll keep mostly the same layouts, just improved and expanded in a number of ways.

Lastly, there's a number of levels I have in the works that are currently "classified". Not so much because of plot reasons, but mostly because I just love to surprise you guys with new stuff that you weren't expecting. Now, I'm not going to spoil them completely, but there's really no reason why I couldn't give you guys just a little bit of information about what to expect...

-World 3-S2: T*** T****
This is a level I used to have on the list, but then it was lost in the "Great Scrapping"... mostly because I didn't really have any decent ideas for it. But then inspiration struck me later on, and I came up with some great ideas for said level. Also we had just gained some free space due to scrapping a few other levels, so I decided to take this level back from the scrapheap and stick it back on the list.
Basically, this is going to be one long fortress level, and possibly one that won't be accessible until after you've beaten the game the first time. I won't say much, but this level will be tying together ALL of the main MM series in one extravagant package...
-World 4-S3: O*******
This one is going to be a bit of a vanity level for me, and sort of a tribute to the reason I first got into MKF. It's based on a region from an MMORPG I play; an ancient ruined catacomb filled with the malevolent spirits of the dead, and demon-summoning magi. The Lost Souls and Pinky demons were originally meant to make their first appearance in this level.

I should probably point out that a bunch of these levels are going to be for W-1, and only one of which is currently on the list.

-World -1-6: In******** Wo******
This one is actually a level suggestion I picked up back on the very first forums, but just never got around to working on it. It's based on a puzzle game, and will involve a lot of machinery and other moving elements. Mew's already agree to help me with the puzzle elements for this one, so you know it's going to be good.
-World -1-8: B***** *** D*** H*** (name pending)
Assuming he doesn't reveal this one first, this is a bit of a co-project between Del and myself. It's going to take place on a war-torn battleground with some rather... peculiar elements. Del's actually already finished all the coding for this one, so it should be pretty simple to put together,
-World -1-S3: 2****
This one's going to be rather combat-oriented. You'll be accompanying a team of individuals on a series of missions to defeat a different team of similar individuals. It will be more a lot more awesome and hilarious than it sounds.
-World -1-F2: Scr***** St********
This one's going to be a bit abstract, but I think it will work. Based on a rather strange puzzle game,  this will be a fortress level filled with traps, but also a number of rather interesting puzzles due to the crazy amount of variety in the original game.
-World -1-S4: N*** L*******h
This will be a fairly psychedelic maze level with plenty of classic arcade elements. Expect the glorious and rather relentless comeback of one of MKF's more well-known scrapped Fusion "boss" ideas...

And that's it for now. There's actually one other, but I literally can't give any information on this level without revealing what it is. Well, except for one thing: it will have a boss. 
Yeah, it seems like a lot, but hell, I'm really in the mood to make levels right now and I can't, so all I can think about is making this stuff. I've already started assembling the resources for most of them.
Anyway, stay tuned for further details as they happen... which will probably take a while at the moment.

[Divadale]

are you saying that once you had your explosion of levels you won't make levels for a while.but it is hard for you to make this explosion because you can't seem to make levels?

Yes I am prety confused.

[CambridgeSMERSH]

Funnily enough, sound clips of the SS Guards from Wolfenstein 3D ("Mein Leben!") appear in the Dev Source, implying that Pouncer may have intended to add SS Guards in Castle Wolfenstein. Just wanted to point that out since you're going to rework Castle Wolfenstein...

[Keiang]

are you saying that once you had your explosion of levels you won't make levels for a while.but it is hard for you to make this explosion because you can't seem to make levels?

He's saying that after he's done working on optimizing the code, it's likely you'll see a number of new levels from him. An "explosion of levels," if you will.

World -1-S3: 2****
This one's going to be rather combat-oriented. You'll be accompanying a team of individuals on a series of missions to defeat a different team of similar individuals. It will be more a lot more awesome and hilarious than it sounds.

>2fort
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[WhiteRoseBrian]

I know that I've suggested this for Castle Wolfenstein before when Pouncer worked on it, but maybe you'd like to consider this, Lars?

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2x5nUvcsos" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2x5nUvcsos</a>

[TheomanZero]

B***** *** D*** H***

(gasp) Such language!  You wash your mouth out with soap!

[Keiang]

B***** *** D*** H***

(gasp) Such language!  You wash your mouth out with soap!

Bitches and Damn Hoes, all day erry day. (It's obviously Atari Porn level, he even said it contained "rather... peculiar elements.")