Hey everyone!
Nachos and Fried Oreos is officially submitted! Created by MiracleWater and myself, this is a 15 exit, very-hard platforming hack with a unique life-based gimmick! The submitted version is also v1.2, so if you are using the C3 version, make sure to use the version submitted on SMWC.
If you haven't played the hack before, here's a bit of information about it from the release thread!
If you have played the hack already, we would love to hear about your experiences with it, good or bad. Since this isn't an "official release thread" or anything, I'll take the time to go more in-depth into the hack here, and perhaps provide a bit of backstory for this hack's creation. If you aren't really interested in this hack, you can just skip this next part. However, if you are interested in hearing more about it, read on. You'll get some backstory for the hack, as well as my incoherent musings on hacking.
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The idea for Nachos and Fried Oreos emerged from a few different events at once. One of these was lolyoshi mentioning a video of him trying to see how far he could progress in The Depraved Stronghold on 1 life. A bit earlier than that, ft029 and cozyduck were discussing Colossus and how the absurdly long levels created an immense feeling of satisfaction when beating them - a satisfaction that (to them) was often even greater than beating a Kaizo level. These ideas interested me because I had never thought of them before. I was also inspired by levelengine's hacks, jolpe and lolyoshi's levels in JUMP, Not So Sadistic Mario, and some of Morsel's works.
At around the same time, MiracleWater was talking about how he had many level ideas, but struggled to make an entire completed hack. I felt the same way; my last released hack was in early 2016, and I had struggled with making a completed hack by myself. We decided to team up and create Nachos.
The entire process of creating this hack was a learning experience. The entire time, we were both "outside of our comfort zones". MiracleWater and I were used to creating so called "JUMPy" stuff, so much that I didn't even know what it meant to design a "normal" level anymore. I had to take everything I knew about hacking and throw it out the window. I also had to knock myself off my high horse. I had to realize that I didn't know everything about design, and that I actually knew very little. It was a learning experience, but a good one.
As explained above, the entire premise behind Nachos is that you have limited lives. We hoped that, when playing the hack, there would be a sense of excitement and exhilaration when trying to beat the hack on limited lives. This, in theory, should come from the fact that you must tread carefully in every move. Because of this, we were basically forced to remove every aspect of trial and error. Think of something like Ninja Gaiden, or Ghosts n' Goblins, or even Pac-Man or Galaga. By playing on limited lives, the excitement increases as you progress through the game. In turn, the risk/reward of grabbing collectables shifts constantly as you progress through the game.
The issue with Super Mario World, and modern SMW hacking in general, is that it is not friendly towards this type of design. SMW is a casual game by heart, one that is designed incredibly well, but focuses on fun platforming, exploration-based maps, and finding neat hidden secrets. One of the obstacles we faced is that lives are essentially useless in SMW, and especially in modern SMW hacking. In case you have been living under a rock, nearly 90% of the hacks being released nowadays are Kaizo and make use of the instant retry patch. The instant retry is probably the most ubiquitous tool in modern SMW hacking besides Lunar Magic. Modern Kaizo is all about getting players into the action as fast as possible.
Another obstacle is that SMW could never be styled like a Roguelike without very high level ASM (to essentially randomize the enemies and layouts). Because of this, playing a Nachos level over and over might get stale. Funny enough, playing levels over and over is a cornerstone of modern SMW hacking; in Kaizo hacks like Invictus or Fly Me to the Stars, it's all about grinding out a level over and over until you master it. As a result, the retry prompt is essential and the average level has become shorter and shorter. The problem, however, is that Nachos has long levels and rewards you for not dying. This will definitely create some frustration with people, and for good reason. Hopefully though, some people will like this mechanic.
Finally, this brings me to my main point. This hack's creation was all about stepping out of our comfort zone. Just for some encouragement, to anyone else that is considering making a hack that is different than what you usually make, just do it. Don't be afraid about how people will react because hacking is about having fun. I used to have some incorrect ideas about what hacking is, but that has all changed. I realize now that if you are having fun and enjoying your hobby, you are doing just fine.
In the end, it was a super fun experience to make this hack with MiracleWater. Thanks to everyone who helped out with this hack, especially Lazy (who made the awesome overworlds and gave advice on music and stuff). In addition, cozyduck was very helpful in the early stages on giving advice for life amounts (and discussed the initial premise of the hack with me as well). Even though this is just a small little insignificant hack, it's been so much fun working on it. If you read all of this, than you are a nerd like me who cares way to much about hacking a 20+ year old game. Oh well lol
Nachos and Fried Oreos is officially submitted! Created by MiracleWater and myself, this is a 15 exit, very-hard platforming hack with a unique life-based gimmick! The submitted version is also v1.2, so if you are using the C3 version, make sure to use the version submitted on SMWC.
If you haven't played the hack before, here's a bit of information about it from the release thread!
Originally posted by MiracleWater
Nachos and Fried Oreos is a 15-exit "vanilla with ASM sprinkles" hack. The levels are short and sweet with a focus on action-packed platforming (inspired by the Japanese style of hacking). However, this hack is not your typical platformer. In Nachos and Fried Oreos, a game-over is truly a game-over! If you lose all your lives, your save file is deleted and you must start from the beginning.
The game includes 4 difficulties that determine the amount of lives you will start with. In addition, every level has 5 dragon coins and a moon. Collecting them will grant you a different reward based on your difficulty.
If you are a casual player and you would never touch a "hard" or "very-hard" hack, that's okay! That's exactly why we have created beginner mode. On this difficulty, you will be given infinite lives and can enjoy the hack at your leisure. Still, be aware that this hack is pretty tricky, even on beginner mode. If you are a more advanced player and love the adrenaline and excitement of beating a challenging segment, then playing on advanced/expert/master is for you!
Incompatibility notice! This hack has been known to crash on both the SNES Classic and the Super Famicom. Play at your own risk.
The game includes 4 difficulties that determine the amount of lives you will start with. In addition, every level has 5 dragon coins and a moon. Collecting them will grant you a different reward based on your difficulty.
If you are a casual player and you would never touch a "hard" or "very-hard" hack, that's okay! That's exactly why we have created beginner mode. On this difficulty, you will be given infinite lives and can enjoy the hack at your leisure. Still, be aware that this hack is pretty tricky, even on beginner mode. If you are a more advanced player and love the adrenaline and excitement of beating a challenging segment, then playing on advanced/expert/master is for you!
Incompatibility notice! This hack has been known to crash on both the SNES Classic and the Super Famicom. Play at your own risk.
If you have played the hack already, we would love to hear about your experiences with it, good or bad. Since this isn't an "official release thread" or anything, I'll take the time to go more in-depth into the hack here, and perhaps provide a bit of backstory for this hack's creation. If you aren't really interested in this hack, you can just skip this next part. However, if you are interested in hearing more about it, read on. You'll get some backstory for the hack, as well as my incoherent musings on hacking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The idea for Nachos and Fried Oreos emerged from a few different events at once. One of these was lolyoshi mentioning a video of him trying to see how far he could progress in The Depraved Stronghold on 1 life. A bit earlier than that, ft029 and cozyduck were discussing Colossus and how the absurdly long levels created an immense feeling of satisfaction when beating them - a satisfaction that (to them) was often even greater than beating a Kaizo level. These ideas interested me because I had never thought of them before. I was also inspired by levelengine's hacks, jolpe and lolyoshi's levels in JUMP, Not So Sadistic Mario, and some of Morsel's works.
At around the same time, MiracleWater was talking about how he had many level ideas, but struggled to make an entire completed hack. I felt the same way; my last released hack was in early 2016, and I had struggled with making a completed hack by myself. We decided to team up and create Nachos.
The entire process of creating this hack was a learning experience. The entire time, we were both "outside of our comfort zones". MiracleWater and I were used to creating so called "JUMPy" stuff, so much that I didn't even know what it meant to design a "normal" level anymore. I had to take everything I knew about hacking and throw it out the window. I also had to knock myself off my high horse. I had to realize that I didn't know everything about design, and that I actually knew very little. It was a learning experience, but a good one.
As explained above, the entire premise behind Nachos is that you have limited lives. We hoped that, when playing the hack, there would be a sense of excitement and exhilaration when trying to beat the hack on limited lives. This, in theory, should come from the fact that you must tread carefully in every move. Because of this, we were basically forced to remove every aspect of trial and error. Think of something like Ninja Gaiden, or Ghosts n' Goblins, or even Pac-Man or Galaga. By playing on limited lives, the excitement increases as you progress through the game. In turn, the risk/reward of grabbing collectables shifts constantly as you progress through the game.
The issue with Super Mario World, and modern SMW hacking in general, is that it is not friendly towards this type of design. SMW is a casual game by heart, one that is designed incredibly well, but focuses on fun platforming, exploration-based maps, and finding neat hidden secrets. One of the obstacles we faced is that lives are essentially useless in SMW, and especially in modern SMW hacking. In case you have been living under a rock, nearly 90% of the hacks being released nowadays are Kaizo and make use of the instant retry patch. The instant retry is probably the most ubiquitous tool in modern SMW hacking besides Lunar Magic. Modern Kaizo is all about getting players into the action as fast as possible.
Another obstacle is that SMW could never be styled like a Roguelike without very high level ASM (to essentially randomize the enemies and layouts). Because of this, playing a Nachos level over and over might get stale. Funny enough, playing levels over and over is a cornerstone of modern SMW hacking; in Kaizo hacks like Invictus or Fly Me to the Stars, it's all about grinding out a level over and over until you master it. As a result, the retry prompt is essential and the average level has become shorter and shorter. The problem, however, is that Nachos has long levels and rewards you for not dying. This will definitely create some frustration with people, and for good reason. Hopefully though, some people will like this mechanic.
Finally, this brings me to my main point. This hack's creation was all about stepping out of our comfort zone. Just for some encouragement, to anyone else that is considering making a hack that is different than what you usually make, just do it. Don't be afraid about how people will react because hacking is about having fun. I used to have some incorrect ideas about what hacking is, but that has all changed. I realize now that if you are having fun and enjoying your hobby, you are doing just fine.
In the end, it was a super fun experience to make this hack with MiracleWater. Thanks to everyone who helped out with this hack, especially Lazy (who made the awesome overworlds and gave advice on music and stuff). In addition, cozyduck was very helpful in the early stages on giving advice for life amounts (and discussed the initial premise of the hack with me as well). Even though this is just a small little insignificant hack, it's been so much fun working on it. If you read all of this, than you are a nerd like me who cares way to much about hacking a 20+ year old game. Oh well lol