Sand Palace

I have not yet completed it but it is a great level of logic ... it does not have bugs, a couple of tricks maybe but the fact that it is difficult does not make it a bad level, much less .... I know that I will complete it, sooner or later ,with or without help,it doesn't matter... this morning I had to watch the video-spoiler of @Star Penguin (jajajaja, I got angry with myself for not realizing) because it was stuck but that does not matter, there are better days and worse but it is clear that a level of pure logic can not be categorized as bad just by not being able to complete it .... it is unfair .... Hey guy @Fishmen , I know you have not done it with bad intention but you can not undervalue one level for not completing ....now I am going to try to solve it!!!!

Finally done yeeeessssssss!!!!Excellent,funny,clever woooww great level of logic!!! Very,very,very well done @Star Penguin uuhhm,I am still angry with myself for not having "seen" the solution aaaarrrggghhhh !!!! Jajajaja....Thank you very much

Hi,
To all over here: it was never, I repeat, never my intention to offend someone over here.

My only concern was to try keeping Mekorama a logic puzzle game and not a gambling game. The steps to take must in some way be deductible from the environment and play evolution. It isn't that difficult to make a (beautiful) level with a win-block and lots of sliders that must be placed and moved at the right time at the right place. You must take some notes, as creator, to solved the puzzle. If you lose the notes you have to try and retry. That is not a logic puzzle. I want to refer to "Sudoku" made by MScript as example for a nice logic puzzle.

Second remark: I would never rate a puzzle that I haven't solved. I have solved due to the video, and see the steps to take. I found no tips, clues just try and error. There are many puzzle I have to leave unsolved or find a solution after several days, weeks. Maybe the video was the cause I decide there was to much gambling involved to solve this one.

Third remark: yes there are some tricks as Autopilot and Hercules needed (and I have learned them over here on the forum). That is not the problem. As example for a good hint for Hercules: "Abu Simbel" made by J. Luis. Galiano. (What the hell means that red brick...)


Maybe it wasn't so sensitive to write a comment and rate the same time. Therefore I remove my rating and replace it with this thoughts.


At last: this forum is a great medium for a great game as Mekorama!
Thanks for your understanding.

Hi @Fishmen I want to clarify the reason why I put the red brick, since my intention was to help the player and the result has been the opposite.
As I explain in the first spolier of the introduction to Abu Simbel: "B has to become Hercules and push the stones that block the door. Since it is practically impossible to rotate the stage before the blocks fall, you have to find a internal block in which to click and to be accessible without turning the stage (note: it looks like a brick)". As you see, my intention was to facilitate the entrance without having to turn the stage.
I hope I have explained. regards

@Fishmen Nice that you take the time to respond. Firstly, I have to admit that in this level I kind of stumbled on the hercules move with luck. But I do think there are hints, though they are very subtle.

Firstly, this level clearly has the design of "it's hidden in the metal, which parts are movable?". Secondly, the metal pathways in the grass. Thirdly, why do those stairs extent 2 blocks out of the wall? And fourthly, lack of any other solution.

But yes, they are subtle, and I didn't derive it as such. And the truth for all of us is that frustration is just around the corner.

@Fishmen I think nobody was offended, so don't worry. It has been just an open brainstorming between players and creators. And honestly, I think that is good for Mekorama community. Thanks for your comments.

@Fishmen,

(Be warned, this is a long post. ) I think the reason that your rating and review caused such a reaction is because two-star ratings are incredibly low for these forums in particular. Usually, two-star ratings are hardly given on these forums and are reserved only for levels that do not work, or whose mechanics work very inconsistently. The criteria I've used for rating levels is WICAP (and I admit it's not perfect, but it gives me a nice guideline for rating levels consistently and somewhat accurately):
W - Winnable (does it have a win-block? Any level that is winnable deserves a star for that)
I - Intuitiveness (is it intuitive to beat? This one is very hard to judge, as sometimes what may be intuitive for some people is not intuitive for others)
C - Consistency (does the level work every time (or at least 95%)? If it requires restarts due to an instability or an unpredictable ball, that can be frustrating. This is usually the star I end up deducting the most)
A - Aesthetics (I never deduct a star for aesthetics, because I think my sense of art differs than other people's. So every one of my reviews is at least 2 stars and usually at least 3)
P - Personal Experience/Preference (This is the most subjective of them all. I do feel that a person's personal preferences should be allowed to come through in his rating sometimes. However, I would never let my personal preferences deduct more than one star off my rating. And sometimes I will leave only a comment describing what I did not like, rather than rating it negatively.)

Now with that being said, I'm not implying that my algorithm is the best; in fact, it has several problems, I just use it as a guideline. I'm also not implying that you should use my algorithm if you don't want to. I'm also not implying that you should change your rating if you don't want to. But I think this algorithm is a fairly good predictor of how other people tend to rate on these forums. I also tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, and have given many five star ratings to levels that weren't my favorite level, but were still well constructed and enjoyable to others.

So now, on to the level. I never intended the solution video to discourage people from playing the level, nor did I intend there to be no hints for the level. As a creator, we are unable to give hints in Mekorama, which is unfortunate. Instead, there are three ways to give hints: (1) posting in the comments section. You will see many players ask the creator for a hint in the comments, and if you ask me for a hint there I will always provide one. (2) PM-ing the creator. I've done that before. I don't know how many other people have done that because PM-ing is not public. and (3) putting up a solution video. Block Builder has put up solution videos for a long time. My intent for the video was that if someone got stuck, they could watch the video up to the point where they were stuck, see the next move, and continue on from there. I thought it was a nice, easy way for people to obtain any hints they might need. I'm sorry that the video didn't come across that way to you.

And finally, as to your review, I fully understand your dislike of guessing and tricks. Most of my previous levels (at least most of the ones in this particular album) are primarily logic levels, and logic levels are my preferred kind of level, as well (NOT trying to plug for myself in any way ). However, I feel that, just as you have the freedom to rate as you choose, creators have the freedom to create as they choose. If a certain creator does not make the kind of levels you are looking for, but makes levels that others enjoy, he may be creating good levels for a specific audience. There are many creators on these forums who create levels that are not to my taste; most of them I ignore, rather than leaving low ratings. I prefer to leave a comment without a rating telling what I did not like, or to ignore the level altogether.

No hard feelings between any of us, I hope. After all, it's just a level inside a game. There are so many levels on the forums now that you do not have to play those from a creator that you do not like. If you don't like my levels, feel free to pass me over, and look for creators that you do like. And if you ask, I am sure the good people of these forums will be able to refer you to other levels that fall into the genre you are looking for.

All the best,

Star Penguin

Variation of auto pilot trick and more mixed elements. It's a special level with the special looks.

Wonderful and crafty. Terrific level indeed.

Played it earlier, great combination of tricks and logic with realastic visual design.thanks!

wow!Surprisingly engineered

Very beautiful palace!! no tganks.

| Enjoyable adventure puzzle with few relevant tricks. The search for small gaps between metal blocks takes some time because of their seamless arrangement which I think, is also tricky to design in Mekostudio. Clever gameplay design.