Cloud Temple - Levels 313 - 318

[aileeniweeni]

yay yay new region (for me)!!

Level 313... timed glass level with doom jewels and portals



0:45 on all the doom jewels that are on the board to start. So they last almost the entirety of the level, which is only 0:50 seconds. The top 2 squares are actually connected, but you have to break through the crate first to expose the glass. The bottom 2 squares are also connected with a crate in between them. There are also surprise doom jewels that drop in and have a timer of 0:25 on them. The jewels will drop from the top left square to the bottom right square. And from the top right square to the bottom left square. I tried getting rid of doom jewels by simple matching. But sometimes there are no available matches around them, so i either try to make blasters to get them or get the jewels to fall through the portals and hope it will make some matches around the doom jewels. Still working on this one

[Phaedrakiki]

Wow, that looks crazy cool and complicated! Yikesy!

[aileeniweeni]

Level 314... timed glass level with doom jewels and portals



the initial doom jewels have a 0:40 sec timer on it and aren't too hard to get rid of. more surprise doom jewels will drop in during the round and start at 0:25 (i think), but those aren't too bad either. i usually focus on getting rid of them when they drop in so i don't have to worry about them. the glass in the middle square and the glass on the separated side columns are easy to get rid of. the hardest glass to break is the 4 isolated spots on top and on bottom of the middle area. you will need to either make a vertical blaster, or make a bomb + blaster combo to reach those isolated glass spots. they are double glassed, so you will need to blast them twice. so the easiest area to make the vertical blaster is in the 2nd or 3rd column of the middle area. If you ever make one or move one (vertical blaster) over to the 1st column or 4th column, it usually gets portaled over into the 2nd and 3rd columns if you don't activate it right away. so the 1st column jewels will get portaled to the 2nd column and the 4th column jewels go to the 3rd column, all within the middle area. this one took several tries for me. and 2:45 is a lot of time on the clock, but you will need it and whenever the jewels are moving around it takes them awhile to get settled, so that eats away at the clock.

[aileeniweeni]

Level 315... timed fire level with doom jewels and portals



this one didn't take as long to pass. and this might be one of my favorite fire levels because for the most part the fires are contained and cannot spread to the main jewel area!! yay. the initial doom jewels have 0:30 sec on the timer, and i think more drop in. but since this only took me a few tries, i've forgotten already. i did a bomb + blaster combo in the middle area. and then i did another bomb + blaster towards the bottom to get the bottom sections of fire. 1:00 on the clock, so it goes pretty fast!

[aileeniweeni]

Level 316... digging moves level with super dirt, crates, and white blocks





i think i passed this one on my first try. 55 moves to dig down 11 meters. pretty straight forward digging. hmm not much else to say

[aileeniweeni]

Level 317... glass moves level with black jewels and portals



the harder areas of glass to break are the 2 L-shaped areas that are separated from the main board. but the hardest glass to break is the part that is to all the way to the right of the top L-shape. This is because the only place of contact can result from a horizontal blast from the 2nd row of the main board. but it's very difficult to make horizontal blasters that high. so i think i did a bomb + blaster combo either as high as possible. Or you can try to do one that involves a vertical blaster all the way to the right of the board. this level took me a few tries and a lot of tricky maneuvering to blast those isolated L-shaped areas. Also remember there are portals, so the special jewels you create might get portaled into a different area. don't forget if you manage to blast those L-shaped areas have get a regular jewel to replace the black jewel, you can use a diamond to make a match with a jewel that is of the same color or combine it with a blaster.

[aileeniweeni]

Level 318... timed glass level with doom jewels, crates, white blocks, and portals



the initial doom jewels have a timer of 0:40 sec, so they're not too bad to get rid of. but surprise doom jewels will drop in with a shorter timer, i think they were 0:25 sec. you need to break the crates on the sides because there's glass underneath. there's also glass underneath the white blocks. so just move as fast as you can! the level was pretty fun since there are only 4 JC. and finally moving on! yay.

[schnuffles]

Good Evening, Folks!

As you know by now, aileeniweeni and fellow Jewel Maniacs, this area was full of portals! Portals are a mechanic that we try to use to create levels that would be impossible without portals (like with this area), yet use them sparingly enough that it isn't confusing or bothersome for you, our players. I really am curious: what are your thoughts on the portals in this area? Do y'all love them, hate them, wish you saw more, etc? I'd love to know your thoughts for use in future levels! I can't make promises, of course, but I'd be interested to hear what you think!

Cheers!

[aileeniweeni]

i like the variety that portals add to levels. so i wouldn't want to see them all the time. but i think they're great to mix it up. i really like them in level 313, because they really felt essential in the mechanics of that level. in level 314, portals sort of helped but they were annoying when you'd finally make a vertical blaster to get those separated areas, only to have them portaled into different columns rendering them ineffective unless you could somehow create a bomb. level 315, the portals seemed neutral. level 317, i can't remember how i felt about the portals. and level 318, i just thought it was a fun level in general and the portals make it fun because the jewels are just constantly moving.

i reached level 330 (2 regions later) that has portals (& walls) and wow that one is interesting!! both those elements (portals & walls) make it really difficult to predict jewel movement. but usually when a level is timed, i don't spend too much time trying to manipulate jewel movement, so i just make matches wherever i can. but that level may be considered borderline confusing haha. i like it for now... let's see how many tries it'll take me to pass it though.

[schnuffles]

i like the variety that portals add to levels. so i wouldn't want to see them all the time. but i think they're great to mix it up. i really like them in level 313, because they really felt essential in the mechanics of that level. in level 314, portals sort of helped but they were annoying when you'd finally make a vertical blaster to get those separated areas, only to have them portaled into different columns rendering them ineffective unless you could somehow create a bomb. level 315, the portals seemed neutral. level 317, i can't remember how i felt about the portals. and level 318, i just thought it was a fun level in general and the portals make it fun because the jewels are just constantly moving.

i reached level 330 (2 regions later) that has portals (& walls) and wow that one is interesting!! both those elements (portals & walls) make it really difficult to predict jewel movement. but usually when a level is timed, i don't spend too much time trying to manipulate jewel movement, so i just make matches wherever i can. but that level may be considered borderline confusing haha. i like it for now... let's see how many tries it'll take me to pass it though.

Excellent feedback, Aileeniweeni! I'll be sure to take that into consideration with future levels. I was responsible for this area (and 330's!), so its great to hear back from our Jewel Maniacs! The question still stands for the rest of you; my ears (or eyes?) are listening!

Cheers!!