Deadly prison

Features:
Overall Difficulty: ★★★★★
Time needed: ★★★★★
Trail length: ★★★☆☆
Patience: ★★★★★
Complication: ★★★★☆
R-andomness: ☆☆☆☆☆
Timing: ★★★★★
Traps: ★★★★★
Throwing: ☆☆☆☆☆
Hidden things: ★★☆☆☆
Mechanisms: ★★☆☆☆

History:
> first version, development ended: 10/8/2018 00:25 EU (former name: Deadly climb)
> second version: 6/9/2018 17:32 EU
changes: only renamed. A block unwillingly removed during retest was immediately restored, but nothing else changed.

Spoiler: Hint

You will soon find, that inner stairs are differently trapped.
You shall climb on external elevators, but avoid being mashed and thrown down by slider intersections, you should take off at the right moment and avoid all moving terrors, while hopping from piece to piece up to the correct corner entry (caveat: 2 of 4 up entries are also trapped, they are upstairs mined).
When there, you're only half trail: you have to climb up by inner elevators and external passages while avoiding traps, then when upside, moving sliders are a thought challenge also, timing and patience are essential.
Often you have to wait the precise time slot to do your move, and if you fail, you will fall down and you're dead.
You probably will have to restart this level many times!

@GFJ Hope you will like it!

@Alberto Hm, this is not easy. B has not yet come very far. It is difficult to control B and the path is not clear. I will try again tomorrow.

Solving this puzzle took too much time, which costs you the fifth star. Hidden zappers, a mechanism that suddenly stops and a B that does not always go to the designated spot make it difficult to find and follow the path to the win. The hints were not very helpful. The final leg is a bit tricky. When he took the long route to the win, B fell off...

@GFJ Thanks for your rating, but I have something to argue.

Ok, now I have people complaining for levels that are too easy, and people complaining for the opposite !

To make it more CLEAR for all, what to EXPECT from a level, I've add a Features comment, this was my exact goal when I think to it. I've also clearly stated in the level description if a level is EASY or THOUGHT.

If you play a level for which I've said this is VERY THOUGHT and that i've rated difficult and time needed both FIVE STARS, I think you should already be prepared to cope with what you've found:

By the way, to give less stars because a level actually DOES what it promises, seems a little unfair to me .

Apart of this, from your rating, I have not well understood if you've found any errors in level.

To have hidden zappers is ok to me, as you can see they in the standard Mekorama level Peach Tree (41) and more elsewhere. After you find where they are and what false ways there are locking, you should be ok with them.

Mechanisms that suddenly stops (actually, they are hindering each other) are wanted here, because this make them more randomly acting. To me, they are ok, as I've projected this . But I understand you could not like it.

Also, a B that doesn't go to the expected spot, is totally part of Mekorama play, is very usual and can be found in many games. The descriptive Pdf of Mekorama tells of that at some point while describing bots behavior (https://mekoramaforum.com/threads/e...-wanted-to-know-about-mekorama.287/#post-2494).
That B rambling here is used in some points to make a little difficult, but can be easy overcome by selecting opportune spot in the moves. Clearly, you should remember the details of every step at each play restart .

That's a play of patience, precision and timing, I am very sorry that you don't liked .

I will try to review the hints, but take in consideration that hints are NOT MEANT to be detailed steps. Maybe this play requires the detailed steps section ALSO, I will think on it .

Can you please take a moment to elaborate on this and clarify on what exactly was the problem? I want to understand if you've meet an error or not.
Anyway, I will retest it, trying to pass by that way again .

Thanks, Alberto

The only real problem was that B fell off when he was at the top of the structure and he only had to run to the win. I find it annoying when, if he has almost reached the final destination, B falls down without any indication that the final steps (in a straight line) are problematic.

Yes, hidden zappers are fine but, in this case, it difficult to remember where they are located because all sides of the “cube” look very similar.

I first had to figure whether B should move clockwise or counterclockwise and, then, at which corner B should take the elevator to the first floor. It is also pretty difficult to get B on that floor and it difficult to see how B should proceed. Anyway, it took me much time to solve this puzzle but the good news is that I did. I have not yet seen any ratings or even comments from other players.

I find it annoying when B does not move to the designated spot, especially when the consequence is that B gets zapped and you have to restart. Too many restarts normally have the effect that I give up. There are a bunch of new Mekorama puzzles every day and I cannot possibly solve all of them. Some puzzles are too easy, others are too complex or too tricky for me. I solve Mekorama puzzles just for fun. If, from my perspective, puzzles are too annoying or too time-consuming, I move on, even if others have rated that puzzle as “excellent” (5 stars).

After numerous attempts, I have found a path to the win but I am not sure whether there is a different and easier path.

@GFJ

Yes! Wonderful ! At least you've succeeded, maybe others have left off already.
And by the way, many thanks for your 4 stars rating, maybe I'll better thank you and simply shut off my reply . But, I'm particularly attached to this level :mad: , so then, my reply to some of your critics, even if I've liked anyway very much that you expressed them .

Spoiler: Carriage

I think you already found it, you should move only when the carriage has stopped moving laterally .

you should see the carriage moving sideways !

Yes this is the magic of this level, all the side seems equal at beginning, but in fact, they are not really equal !

Spoiler: Mathematical symmetry

It is in some way mathematical: firstly you have a fourth sides 90° symmetry, with identical movements both externally and internally; then, when you know of stairs zappers, you discover an element that distinguish corners by two, to only a 180° symmetry (for some elements only, but effectively changing the paths); and finally, when you are on the roof, the symmetry is broken, as you have a non-symmetric element atop, the swinging carriage with the win .

Spoiler: Hint to select corner

So, you have to carefully select the corner from which to start the raising. I personally like the most to move one corner left, and then climb here. That doing, I found myself on the short side of the swinging top carriage, so I don't have to wait the right moment to traverse it .

Spoiler: Difficulties

To me, any of your above sentence is a gold medal, because you are saying that I've been able to successfuly add these difficulties to the play !

But instead, you have been keeping to try it again, until solution. This means I have succeeded into inducing possible physical dependency from my level !
Please don't blame me for having realized something you cannot be without until solution!

To my eye, you have to be a great level solver !

@GFJ
Note on your comment:
As an indication of what forum policies suggests, you should please better edit your reply above, to include most part of his text inside the green "SPOILER" tag. This is to preserve the readers from unwillingly getting clues to the solution, before to try themselves.
It is in fact very easy, here is the how to:
1) press "edit" under your comment
2) select the text portion that is giving clues to the solution, or even all the text, if you deem it all "cluesy"
3) with text to hide selected, click on the "+" sign on the bar above the editing area. This opens a little submenu.
4) from the "+" submenu, click on "Spoiler".
5) in the title dialog that opens, you can leave empty or give a spoiler title. Press "Continue" and the tags for spoiler are created. This tag could also be added by hand.
6) Press the publishing "Edit comment" button, to see your final comment with the tag added.

@Alberto I believe that I did not give other players any useful clues as to the solution of this puzzle. For that reason, I did not include “spoilers”.

@Alberto Yes, you can definitely be proud of this puzzle. It has some interesting and innovative features, and players have to figure out a lot, which also means that solving the puzzle takes much (too much?) time. Complex or tricky puzzles may have the disadvantage of putting off many players.

@GFJ I am thinking about dividing my album in two between easy levels and thought ones. Hope this would better address players to what they desire

I have still a bunch of levels ready to publish, I am slowing putting them to be able to read comments.
Also have some that are stopped in revision, as they have problems that I can't manage to solve easily.

Is an hard work to throughly check the levels before publish and to intercept problems. Also the review part is important because when fresh worked, a level seems beautiful to creator, but playing it again after some time could reveal many defects .

Anyway, stay tuned for my next creations!

@GFJ Your profile seems hidden to me, maybe because i'm a beginner

@Alberto I believe that many experienced payers expect to achieve at least some results very quickly. You made it abundantly clear from the outset that this level is very difficult but there is no evidence that any of the experienced players had the stamina to solve the puzzle. If no-one comments on the level, the most practical approach may be to post the level again a couple of days later accompanied by a useful hint; not a solution video. I never play levels after the creator or someone else has posted the solution video.
I look for new levels almost every day, so there is a good chance that I will see your next levels.

Buff,too chaotic for my taste but I did it...Thanks for sharing @Alberto

@GFJ Thanks!
I've also see that, unwillingly, renaming my album brings my works back on the top...
I was thinking also to rename that album as "Alberto's ARCADE levels", what you think of that? Seems more appropriated...
EDIT: I think I will do it now.

And having read of the tags, on manual, a thing i've actually ignored, to add opportune tags also...