Tomb Raider Custom Levels

[Blín D'ñero]

I've picked up playing custom levels again (i think 3½ ~ 4 years ago was the last time i played them).

After a few now, i re-realised something i had forgotten about the controls: playing with right-Alt doesn't work nicely. Right-Alt -when pushed and hold- adds the Ctrl function of grab, so Jump becomes Jump + Grab, making certain moves next to impossible.... So you must play Tomb Raider with Left Alt and Ctrl.

I will not be reviewing these levels, and i'll avoid posting spoilers. But i will give my personal opinion and -when applicable- what exactly bothered me the most.

I'm just a player. I don't know any of the builders personally, so my judgement can be harsh, because i'm just expressing my blunt spontaneous opinion. Playing is for fun and nothing else, and i hate it when that is ruined after being invited to enjoy.

Update:
When a level bores me i start complaining about little flaws. That's not being picky. From a good game you are willing to accept much more [imperfections] than you do when a game feels, looks, plays clumsy, not well put together from the start. Things don't have to be realistic, but should appear like they could be plausible. When a game is good it distracts from its [minor] flaws; but when a game lacks certain quality, fails to hold your attention, then the tiniest shortcomings start bothering. Oh and, a flyby and a short 'camera view' of what happened in another room after i pulled a lever, is far from realistic but that's something in a Tomb Raider level i appreciate very much.

---

My graphics card is always an ATI Radeon.
My CCC settings with Tomb Raider Custom Levels are:

AA: 4 x (Edge detect) - no MLAA
AF: 4 x
Texture filtering quality: High Quality
AA mode: Super-sample AA

---

From this site a few i didn't like at all and some very good ones. But the one i'm currently playing is perfect! A bit washed-out in the (environmental) colours not withstanding.
With the improved, beautiful next-generation Lara. Lara Croft and the Forgotten Scribe by Leon van der Noll (Leonvdn). The builder even added some very cool new moves!
I rate it 10+ / 10. (the + is for extraordinary excellence)

The one before that:
Midas Tribute by Aza.
I rate it 8 /10 only because it's too short but it's awesome; i'm sure the guy can and hopefully will make a 9er, (maybe a 10); this level seems to suggest a sequel is in the making.

And the one before that, Lara Croft and the Holy Grail. It is magnificent. Except, i don't understand how such high quality game can contain such crappy buggy section: the narrow underwater corridor with spikes trap. First, the slopes creating invisible blockades making it hard to manipulate Lara through the tunnel (known issue from TR4) but ADDED TO THAT Lara is killed even in the vicinity of the spikes (on the way back, after you hit the lever). Lara is often killed before the spikes, while she's still in the "tile" where the boulder is laying at the bottom. I hated this buggy section. Of course, eventually it can be done successfully. (Btw, this happens in many other custom levels as well, i have no idea if this is a TR4 bug or the builder's fault putting settings)
And for the rest, this is an incredibly well done, quite large and beautiful game.Lara Croft and the Holy Grail by Thierry Stoorne.
I rate it 10+ /10.

I also played a few that were very disappointing:

I Am Legend by Clara and Masha
Messy crap. And you can drive / walk through textures / objects way too much.
I quitted, and rate it 0 / 10

UB4 by Richard Lawther
Basically it's quite an annoying joke. It does not play as an adventure, just a chain of rediculous and hard traps one after the other, in ugly environments. No adventure, rather a madhouse. Looks as if it's aimed at impressing fellow-builders rather than to be enjoyed by the Tomb Raider players. It doesn't impress me, this buggy crap: up and down moving blocks in lava pool (yah...), but while the block is down Lara lands on it's phantom "up" position. 'Nuff said.
I quitted, rate it 0 / 10

[Blín D'ñero]

Almost finished (the message says so) "Lara Croft and the Forgotten Scribe" but i don't want it to end, i only have 4 / 8 secrets. i know where 1 is but can't open that grating. That still leaves 3 i even didn't notice. I hope they weren't 1-attempt-only timed affairs. I think i'll replay, and if i find they are, i'll take 1 point off my rating.

[Blín D'ñero]

Ahh.. ok. Started a new Forgotten Scribe game, and already found the first skull on a place i wasn't before. And i think i saw a message that getting the one skull behind the grating requires all other skulls to be found first.

[Blín D'ñero]

Finally! Replayed taking 3 hours examining every nook and cranny revisiting every spot multiple times. LOL. Yeah, very well done, this custom level.

Let me repeat: I rate Lara Croft and the Forgotten Scribe 10+ / 10. (the + is for extraordinary excellence)

[Blín D'ñero]

Currently playing "The Skribblerz Stonez". I hate it when people do that: Z's instead of S's; it's immature. Also is dressing Lara in a carnavals suit with paws, claws and a tail and making her sound like a frog with a hiccup when climbing or moving a block. Still this "Masurao… Uncaged.."is a solid level, well done. Playing this because i wanted to see more by Aza, and his more recent "Kronicles of Kage 2" (again: K's instead of C's ) seems part of a trilogy so i thought i'd start with the first one.

I rate "Masurao… Uncaged.." 5 / 10

[Blín D'ñero]

It's a set of levels from various builders, a Project.
Now playing The Sun Temple by Dhama. It's a gem!

I rate it 10 / 10

[Blín D'ñero]

A marvellous set! Both Pacaritambo by Baslakor and "The Imprisoned Spirits 4: The Tree of Souls” by GMac are excellent. Great rooms, puzzles, atmosphere, and fine music choice.
What a joy i had playing this set!

I rate "Pacaritambo" 10 / 10
i rate "The Imprisoned Spirits 4: The Tree of Souls" 10 / 10

[Blín D'ñero]

The Skribblerz Stonez 2 now, another set. The first one, "FR2 - The Wanderers" by Amber Light, is excellent.
It has got some very mean timed sequences with curved jumps, fire, poisonous water but well integrated in the atmospheric adventure!
I rate it 10 / 10

[Blín D'ñero]

The second, Temple Of The Stone by Bedazzled is not so good imo. Biggest complaint: in the first puzzle, when you enable only one beam with the mirrors, one passage already opens, and you can continue. So i did. It starts with the monkey swing. The bad part is: that monkey swing is one way only. I played on till the bridge where i noticed i do not have a bridge key. You cannot backtrack to the central room with the mirrors. Turns out, that you must do the 'beams and mirrors' puzzle completely so that both gates open, and then you have to take the other route first so you get the bridge key. This level is so-so. And nowhere is it exciting or surprising.
I rate it 4/10.

[Blín D'ñero]

The third, Oak Island. Well, hmm... standing on a 'platform' made out of leaves (yeah, really) on a tile that has slightly different colour, above a gigantic deep cave, i lost interest. There's a medipack sitting but jumping to that spot there's nothing to grab or stand on, Lara just falls through into the deep pit. Messy level overall.

OK, found it, with lighted binoculars: the map in the hole gives an idea where to go. But no way the actual "tiles" light up, they're just trial and error while keeping the map in mind. I find this a very weak presenting of a 'puzzle'.

I rate it 6 / 10