Topic, Game "BLockoban"

  Yeah, you're totally right.

  I am so sick of the argument people are saying over an over, "If a level is bad or tedious just don't play it" Anyone who worked at a game company ever would be instantly fired for uttering this stupidity. What kind of standard is that, well guys we are about ready to release this new game and while 90% of it is just super high quality, we added some really boring, terrible content at the end, but don't worry only the people who want to play that part of the game will. Here is the freaking problem with that... how do you know it's terrible before you play it? Often only the last 10 moves in any given blockoban level are the moves that matter. So enough of this telling people not to play your levels if they don't like them, have a little pride in your work. I know no one is making off these Blockoban levels, but people are playing them, make your work quality for heavens sake. I am not sorry for being honest, the whole point of meeting people is so they can help you improve your own life. The friend that will tell you that you need to start taking care of yourself or improve a certain aspect of your life is 100x more valuable then the friend that will lie to your face and say you look good in that dress.

  yes it is.

  It Looks Similar (BLockoban) Possible?

  Well said, Toughman. Good to see getting some time for the game.
(At least for my tedious levels you can tell by the number of moves!)

  Concluding, I don't really believe it is a debate over the specific type of levels but rather a more general debate on which levels should be accepted or not. Having said that, I honestly trust our admins and their judgement so I am sure that all of them (but especially OMG who is one of the best in solving even impossible levels) will keep doing the excellent job they have been doing so far in order for all of us to keep enjoying this game.

  Dear fellow members of this community. Just noticed the debate that was brought up by OMG regarding the so-called 'controller' levels and I would also like to express my opinion which addresses not only about these type of levels but other types that are considered either too tedious (in moves) or have extremely many dummies or they are just a sequence of random moves. The way I see this game is that it is a strategy type of game and the reasons I have chosen to keep playing it (and of course I may not represent the majority for which i apologize) are in random order of preference a) the challenge in finding a solution, b) the effort in finding an optimum one, c) the quality of the game maintained by the members, the creators but most importantly by the Admins and d) the fact that I know there is a REASONABLE solution - even if sometimes you really need to think hard or for long to find it - in every level. This is a game where quality has always been the objective over quantity. As a member of this community I trust every admin and I follow its rules in order to be able to demand and receive the best possible service. And by service I mean the levels that are accepted which should not be levels that will eventually waste my time. I know we all have the option to play a level or not but when you start playing one you never know whether this is a challenging one or will end up in endless trial and errors before you manage to solve it. In that sense I count on the Admins to carefully and thoroughly review every level in order to save not just my time but all of us and accept only the levels that provide some key-basic quality to the game. Although I understand my friend's point that 'controller' type levels are not classic BB, I would still treat them as any other type of level but with a higher probability of them being rejected should they fail to meet any of the abovementioned criteria.

  the list it's not without errors. typos for sure. maybe some highscores have changed in the meantime or i mexed something.

  I really like the list, well done omr :) , but several categories seemed to be wrong (in the Puzzle It list), but it can also be that the importing from the excel document to open office messed it up (or I messed it up xD).

  for the hard-core-players: after months of work i completed a excel list with all the blockoban and puzzle it levels (name, highscore, category). you can use it to compare your scores. if you like one you can pm me an e-mail adress where i can send it or if you prefer you can ask me for mine. if you know how to use excel it's great stuff (i think).

  For me:
I don't rate, seriously
Cuz most levels are still too hard for me

  i'll put that too omr

for me:

5 great
4 good
3 bad
2 (rarely)
1 (rarely)

i don't really consider the age, or the skills. i consider the level itself.

  my votes are: 5 very good, 4 good, 3 ok, 2 unsatisfying, 1 bad.

sometimes i consider the age of the designer and his skill & experience too.

  In my opinion a level with a code is acceptable, as long as the code is an original type of code, never used in another level before. There is even an official one. Analysing block groups is one of several possible concepts, so I would reckon this as a code system: one is acceptable (maybe a sequel), but after that the concept is unoriginal and thus bad and rejectable.

  You're right, oldmtnguy. I and probably the other people misunderstood you. I have to agree, that we should keep the purity of Blockoban, but making some levels based on different concepts which aren't typical for Blockoban is not a problem. I really don't believe, that we'll only have other levels in future. The main part of the levels will still be classic :)

  I absolutely agree with Jyxz!

  I feel that I need to explain my thought process a little further. I am not attacking or have anything against controller or cipher-based games. I enjoy and play them in other places. In fact I play all types of mind games.
Blockoban however is a spatially oriented game which involves a different type of mind set and thought process. The level IQ Test (BLockoban) is an excellent puzzle, but it is not really a BLockoban level because there are no blocks or targets to move to reach a solution.The screen is there to provide a visual confirmation of your cipher solution. As an administrator, the reason I brought this up was to try to keep the purity of the BLockoban game and not to muddy the water of the level pool.
I really appreciate all your thoughts and comments and I am looking forward to hearing from more of you. After we complete this discussion, I intend to contact JP if he is not already aware and get his final opinion as the game's designer.
Thanks again to all of you contributors and players because it is your contributions and efforts that make this site what it is.

  I actually fully agree with Jyxz.
Blockoban is a puzzle game, it's intended to let you think. In my opinion, it doesn't matter what the concept of a Blockoban level is. It has to be well executed of course, but the level should make you start thinking and then you may be able to solve the level.

The level "IQ Test" by The_S is a great level in my opinion. I don't care if it's a controller level, because it's a great puzzle and it makes you think, and this is what a puzzle should do.

Linked blocks are a feature of Blockoban.
And I think that controller levels should belong to a game like this, because linked blocks allow you to do such concepts. It can be true that jp didn't intend such puzzles and it's true that these levels are not typical Blockoban puzzle levels, but they are puzzles and this is the only thing that matters. Blockoban is designed for clever levels and "IQ Test" is definitely one of it.

Levels of course have to be great in quality, but a controller level - if it's well executed - can also be a high quality level.

That's all I can say to this and even if I'm not a good Blockoban player, I have to mention that these levels should also belong to the game.

  That sounds reasonable to me :)

  Yes, my last level is a not standard blockoban level. It's just what tke title says: IQ test or part of it. No targets and you may need a pen and paper. I have two more levels (one of them not very good) but I did not uploaded them because I wanted to see scores and reaction to my first one. In my opinion few controller levels will not be a problem. I remember two and they were well made levels, something different. I suggest for the future only the realy extraordinary and high quality controler levels to be accepted, thus keeping their number low but still not fully excluding them.

  If you really want to avoid alzheimer, you should try to optimise your score, I think you'll train your brain a lot with that. Solving is a thing, but improving is another thing. Although I think controller levels should be kept, I like those levels. Although 'IQ Test' is still testing me. :)

  Jim, while I understand what you're saying, yes they don't take the same skills we have been developing playing other blockoban levels, I think you are forgetting the point of us coming here. Blockoban should be, and I think has been for a lot of us, challenging our minds in new and creative ways. Games like this have been proven to lower the chances of getting alzheimer's and to help delay the symptoms of those who have it. For a player like me, the levels that force me into completely new ways of thinking, the ones where I stare at the screen for 10 minutes before moving a block, are the reason I keep playing this game. Sifting thru hundreds, now thousands, of useless puzzles that present no new challenge, trick, or innovation is annoying. The levels you are attacking in your comment are the levels we should be applauding. Yes, not everyone is going to be able to solve them because they require a certain level of intelligence. Note: I know you are talking about The_S's latest level, which I have stared at for a long time, and haven't solved either. Sometimes there's just levels that not everyone is going to be able to solve, and these are the best kind of levels, not the worst. (Note: There are levels no one should be able to solve as we have proven in the past, and these are the worst.)

  What do you mean by "controller"-levels? I'm not to good at Blockoban terminology :/

  This note is to all players out there. We have recently seen a few of the so-called "controller" levels submitted. I do not feel that these types of levels belong in the game because they are puzzles, but not true Blockoban puzzles as JP designed the game. I would appreciate your input on this, but your opinions do not need to be made publicly if you do not want them to. You can simply PM me and let me know how you feel. For the time being I will not approve any more of this type of level, and would prefer to delete those already in existence unless it is a consensus of the community that you want them included.


edit: Controller level is one that uses a separate box with blocks in a devised code that needs to be deciphered in order to determine the moves required to solve the puzzle. The puzzle usually involves multiply linked blocks in a random pattern.

  whoa, I just jumped to 52nd for designer o.o

  What about me? I had 4.5 7 months ago and I got 4.729 in a month. :p

  Thanks Ferrari! :)

  AK: I'm ahead, so it's up to you to pass me :)

If I remember correctly we're also placed 9th and 10th in ML, so we could have a little HSF there as well!

Manufan: Not at all bad! Congratz :)

  I never realised this myself, but I'm 18th on the designers list!

  I really miss Toughman's levels. :( I know I wasn't able to solve them, but they were all beautiful. x3