A contest to create the best Lode Runner level. The best level will be picked by me on Sunday, July 29th, and the winner will receive a special prize in the mail.
“How do I play?”
The version used will be Mad Monks’ Revenge: Definitive Edition, a fan made port of the 1995 Sierra Online game, Lode Runner Online: The Mad Monks’ Revenge. The game can be downloaded for free here, and played on Windows, Mac or Linux. I believe this is the most accessible version of Lode Runner to play, and the most intuitive version for creating and sharing levels.
It’s a fan made cross-platform re-implementation of Lode Runner Online: The Mad Monks’ Revenge. We played Lode Runner on and off over the last 21 years but when it no longer played nice with modern OS’s, we decided rather than just not play it and remember it how it was, we’d re-create it!
“How do I enter?”
Make a level! Then, post in this thread the level’s title, a screenshot, and an optional brief description. Don’t forget to send me the level, either as a PM attachment or through a filesharing service. For Windows users, the game data can be found in Documents/My Games/Lode Runner Online.
“How do I win?”
Make the most interesting or creative level. It can be challenging, funny or unique. Make whatever you want! My goal is to create a dynamic where everyone can have fun playing Lode Runner together.
“WHAT do I win?”
A Lode Runner cartridge for the Famicom, plus a secret Personalized Marina Prize
This is awesome! I have a question. What is the best way to learn how to play Lode Runner correctly? I feel like this is a prerequisite for making a decent level
I’ve played it many times across several versions since being a kid but I guess I’m just Lode Runner-inept. I mostly remember playing the C64 version for hours and never making much progress - something about the gameplay doesn’t click with me and I always die.
I lusted after the Sierra version of this game for many years by staring at the screenshots in the Sierra OnLine magazine “InterAction.” I never played it, and barely played the DOS version I had on one of those two-disc “Encyclopedias” of games you could get at Wal-Mart for $10.
I did, however, extensively play a clone of the game featuring Gadget from Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers that seems to have been scrubbed from the Internet. It used bombs instead, though. It was an alternate version, hack, or source or sequel to Widget & Gold. That’s how I know and love Lode Runner. Through a 1990s, fan-made, Disneyfied ripoff for Windows.
At any rate, I’m watching this thread so I can remember to make something for this!
The most challenging Lode Runner levels are about finding an optimal route, in my opinion. Like, if you strip away all of the video game abstractions, Lode Runner is a real-time wood puzzle. For each level you have a goal, and all of the pieces required to finish it. Well-constructed levels will force you to think before moving, and require you to carefully perform each necessary action in the right order as not to get obstructed by an enemy or pitfall.
Though, that’s just one way of doing it. You can of course make a pure action level requiring precise timing and efficient movement. The beauty of Lode Runner I feel is that it blends arcade platforming and puzzles in a very pure way.
My least favorite puzzles are the ones that require weird mechanical knowledge that is not at all obvious. Specifically, the first one I’ve encountered like this is level 19, Bomb the Monks. You have to bomb a monk that is jerking around on a ladder, but you can only hit them on a couple of frames of this animation. I ended up trying to bomb the monk 8 or 10 times with no success and looked up a walkthrough. Turns out I just missed the timing window repeatedly.
I also don’t really like the puzzles that require tons of setup - Strange Attraction (14) is a good example of one where I can see the solution pretty quickly but end up having to do lots of work to just Do The Damn Thing.
I know there’s like 200+ levels or something ridiculous, and I['m only on like level 25 or something, so maybe I just suck at Lode Runner!!!
That said, some of these have been amazing. Fun Bombs (Level 23) was a ton of fun even though I kept dying. It’s a bit actiony, a bit puzzley, and even the trap doors are kind of funny to me.
Anyway I love and also hate lode runner and have no idea what my level is going to look like
NOOOOOO. I really wanted to do this and just plum forgot. It’s on my list of to-do things, but I haven’t been checking that all that much and I forgot to write the due date in my list. I’m sorry
I have a half-completed level-set that doesn’t go anywhere meaingful, been meaning to build on it. i did not forget about this but I did forget about the deadline!!!
Lode Runner level design is sort of hard; this took me a long time! I was trying to make a level without enemies for a while until I realized they’re sort of the most interesting and dynamic element.
I’ve created “The Fortress of Power Tools” although it’s kind of a misnomer cause there’s only the one.
So uh, if this breaks the rules feel free to disqualify me but I made a level set. Because I had an idea I wanted to try with it, and then kinda ran out of time. Because I forgot about this since yesterday.
It’s called Passages!
(This is the best screenshot I could get I have no idea why it won’t let me take a screencap without the pause icon showing up. It’s the weirdest thing)
I’m sorry. I want you to know that I tried.
