Lava Factory

36th: Lava Factory Make a Good Mega Man Level 2

Don't "wine" about it being a water level.

Overview Creator(s): DuckSalmon Composer(s): Konami Kukeiha Club, Wally Chantek Statistics Scores: 32 32 25 34 27 Total: 30.0 / 50 Rank: 36th Elements: 1 Collectables: Enemies: Komasaburo Metall Metall EX Metall Swim Pickelman Bull Sea Mine Sniper Joe Telly Yudon Gimmicks: Destroyable Block (Slash Claw, Wheel Cutter) Plantman Platform Sub-Bosses: Gamarn and Gamadayu Metall Potton

Theme Music Gradius 3 (SNES) - Lucky Zone Stage Order Location: Tier 6 Previous: Duwang Next: Just an Ice Level

"Thanks for playing! A special thanks to the creators of this engine that makes true my childhood dream. This is my very first game level I hope you enjoy it. now... Good Luck!! Remember... This is LAVA Factory!"

―DuckSalmon, hidden room at the start of the level

Lava Factory is the 36th place entry in Make A Good Mega Man Level 2. There is no lava to be found in this level.

Strategy

In the starting room, using Wheel Cutter on the left wall will destroy a part of it and open a path to a room containing a message from DuckSalmon and the first Noble Nickel. After that, continue to the right for a few screens, dodging jumping Metalls and a lone Pickelman Bull. In the room with the Komasaburo, there's a cracked block that can be destroyed with Slash Claw; sliding through will drop you into a small underwater area with an E Tank and the second Noble Nickel. Heading back up, you're forced to use Slash Claw again on the block behind the Yudon, followed by some rather tight platforming courtesy of some Metalls with unique sprites. After this is a straightforward fight against a Metall Potton, and then the Energy Element!

... Just kidding, there's an invisible wall blocking it. Head left through the following underwater section full of Metall Swims (as well as one screen with a lot of Dive Man mines), and you'll eventually come to a ladder up out of it. At the top is a Sniper Joe that's best dealt with using Flash Stopper, as you have no room to maneuver fighting it (unless you shoot the Plant Man platforms, but even then you risk falling back into the water). Following this is a room of ascending Plant Man platforms with Tellies spawning; the final Noble Nickel is on a ledge at the top of this room. The final challenge of the level is Gamarn and Gamadayu guarding a boss hallway. In the boss room, an angry Shadow Man explains that you just destroyed his wine factory (because "Why do You think Capcom's level designers put lava in a ninja's stage?") and tells you to just take the Energy Element and get out.

Judge Comments

Judge Comments
snoruntpyro  : 32 / 50
Design Fun Creativity Aesthetics Functionality Skip Teleporter? 8 / 15 8 / 10 7 / 15 4 / 5 5 / 5 No Pretty nice level! It's not spectacular or anything but it's fun and has some clever design moments. I like how you used the jumping mets at the beginning, and I liked how the underwater Noble Nickel was hidden. In the end, though, it doesn't really do much, but it's fun either way so it's not like a crime or anything. It's just overall a nicely designed and fun level, the fake energy element totally fooled me, and the wine joke at the end was funny. Probably the only issue I would have is that secret dev room, not sure if I'd hide a Noble Nickel behind something that obscure, especially since the Wheel Cutter blocks are used nowhere else. Still a nice level though.
JupiHornet  : 32 / 50
Design Fun Creativity Aesthetics Functionality 10 / 15 9 / 10 5 / 15 3 / 5 5 / 5 You got me with that Energy Element troll! Anyway, this level may not have been that long or had a lot of custom assets, but I enjoyed it anyway. It felt like something straight out of one of the classic Mega Man games, and at the end of the day, this is the Make a Good MEGA MAN Level Contest. Thing is, some parts use the tileset in really strange ways (beginning of the water section) and the vertical rooms with the Tellies got a bit annoying. The lack of a boss was disappointing, and the ending dialogue didn't make a ton of sense. All in all though, good effort.
Enjl  : 25 / 50
Design Fun Creativity Aesthetics Functionality Skip Teleporter? 9 / 15 7 / 10 3 / 15 2 / 5 4 / 5 No Pretty cool first level! While playing it rather safe and not being very innovative it has a nice difficulty curve and does a decent job at introducing various mechanics it uses. The slash claw indication on the breakables isn't obvious and the mine section is pretty bland and unnecessary, but aside from that I enjoyed it.
Garirry  : 34 / 50
Design Fun Creativity Aesthetics Functionality 10 / 15 7 / 10 8 / 15 5 / 5 4 / 5 It's pretty decent. I think the way the stage was designed was very solid, most sections were fair. Some parts are bad like the spikeball section, and a few are just boring and empty. I liked this stage. It was actually really fun despite the design problem. Nothing too special though. It's okay. It's not that creative, but I did enjoy the concepts used. Looks good. Well, there's one section where you can screw up the camera, but other than that it's okay. Not a bad level. The level design is well done, with the exception of a few sections, such as the ones with the Sea Mines and the ones which just feel empty. Other than that, there's not much to say about this one. I had fun playing it, but it wasn't anything too amazing and the stage concept is a little generic.
ACESpark  : 27 / 50
Design Fun Creativity Aesthetics Functionality Skip Teleporter? 7 / 15 7 / 10 6 / 15 4 / 5 3 / 5 No If this is actually your first attempt at a level, I'd say you did pretty good! For a contest though... it's not terribly interesting? I am kind of liking the destructible walls being built into the terrain as they are, and the first Nobel Nickel was very, very sneaky, I approve. I'm almost thinking that the level probably should've stuck to its guns and, in a strange thought, actually kept up the weapon usage. I mean they're there, and by introducing the destructible blocks on the main path, you clearly indicate what sort of level we're doing, except it just sort of stops and becomes really generic. I thought the fake Energy Element was... kind of daft, especially since there doesn't appear to be any justification for it whatsoever. It's just bizarre, and very confusing. Many people will get annoyed by this I think. There are a few too many empty screens every so often, and that screen with nothing but Mines seems... pointless and a huge time waster, since there is no challenge to these things what-so-ever. It is also possible to go over the level terrain quite a bit, since they aren't blocked off, so nothing is stopping you from exiting the ceiling. Fortunately there aren't exactly any areas where you get stuck. It's just unpolished. Your use of ceilings was also very inconsistent, so when attempting to jump off the top of the screen, the player never knows if they'll bump their head off an invisible ceiling or not. It certainly is not a awful stage by any stretch of the imagination, but it did sort of lose any identity it could've had part way through, and that is a shame, and very disappointing. Oh, and for once I approve of the lack of boss following a boss corridor. While it's not a boss fight, there is still a climax to the stage of sorts, so it works, just.

Notes

• Lava Factory is one of a handful of stages that are impossible to perfect run, as it requires the use of special weapons.