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What do you look for in Chocolate Hacks?

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I'm just a bit curious of people's nitpicky prefrences. What do you like to see when playing one?

Let's try to stay away from, "I don't like this or that." or, "I hate it when.....blah blah blah!"
I ask that your posts please be approached from a positive perspective as best as possible. =)
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Personally..
- a good story (cutscenes and stuff). Of course, it's absolutely not necessary, but if there's something that can make an SMW hack stand out is its own backstory. New characters, interesting story-gimmicks etc. But making the cutscenes way too long is something I'd avoid.
- polished graphics, a consistent visual look (graphical clashes don't irritate me that much, actually, but it's always nice to see a "theme" going on).
- fitting and great custom music (custom or port, I don't mind, unless it's been used like a billion times before).
- and probably more minor stuff, but these are the most important factors for me.
Fun level design. If you've got that, I tend to ignore other problems the hack may have.

EDIT: This applies to all hacks, not just "chocolate" hacks.
Well implemented gameplay gimmicks made with ASM. Things that mesh well with Mario's basic jumping and platforming mechanics.


Past that, the same thing I look for in other hacks. Non-linear overworlds, interesting atmosphere, etc.
fun level design and some neat custom graphics. i also tend to look for mario-like custom music, if it's acceptable.

also, cutscenes and some deep interesting stories as well.
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Fun level design combined with some different ASM gimmicks, nice graphics without glitches and fitting custom music.
Consistent graphics and new gimmicks along with great level design is what I look for in a chocolate hack and I must say they seem to be rarer these days.
I would expect everything that everyone else said. But the biggest thing above everything else that I would want in a chocolate hack is easy difficulty. I want a difficulty balance that I can handle. This is the frustrating thing about hacks. I actually have a rule for myself that says, "The more chocolate-y a hack is, the easier that I want it to be." (Prepare for a rant.)

I just fuckin' HATE it when I play a hack and at at least one point, the difficulty gets SO FRUSTRATINGLY HARD that I can't handle it! I fuckin' HATE it when I find a level in a chocolate hack that I can't handle! I want chocolate hacks to be easy and fair because chocolate hacks are full of surprises! If I get to a part that can't handle, then I can't advance and see all of the surprises that the hack has to offer! If you start playing a chocolate hack and you enjoy it, when you get to a part that you can't handle, you'll rage quit! See what I'm saying? If you're enjoying a hack, when you get to a part that you can't handle, all of that enjoyment GOES AWAY! Making even ONE part of a hack hard RUINS THE ENTIRE GAME! A game that was fun and enjoyable suddenly turns into a piece of crap because of that one level! I'm FUCKIN' SICK of it! I can't BELIEVE the number of Super Mario World hacks and Super Mario Bros. X episodes that BREAK MY RULE! Seriously, do you guys even properly TEST your hacks? I keep thinking NO! Why do you guys like making hard hacks? All it does is makes players mad and it makes your hack lose reputation. Several tips go, "There is a fine line between difficult and unfair. Avoid the latter." and something like, "You can increase popularity of your hack by using custom stuff, but what really matters is how fun it is to play." I HATE cheating by using codes and save states because that makes me feel powerless! I'm even about to stop playing Mario platforming fan games because they're so difficult! If I can't find any good hacks to play, then I'm going to make one myself! Because I'm sick and tired of playing difficult hacks, I'm being MOTIVATED to make my hack! I want my hack to be easy and enjoyable! In fact, I'm in the starting stages right now. The difficulty balance is going to be so perfect that it's going to be the best hack on SMWCentral! I am not going to give up or be lazy! I'm going to keep working on it and keep working on it and keep working on it until it gets featured! I have pride! I keep thinking that many of you don't, falling victim to laziness, apathy, lack of pride, giving up, thinking, "I can't", etc. Those are for losers, quitters, and failures. If you have any of those qualities, your video game will NOT be successful; it will be a disappointment. Why would I give you something that I can't handle? WHY?

I think the ONLY fan game that's good is Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii. Newer Team seems to be the ONLY fan organization who knows EXACTLY how to make a video game! The difficulty balance in Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! I mean, oh my goodness, I was astounded on how perfect the difficulty balance was. While playing that hack, I don't think I ever found a part that I couldn't handle. It was easy and fun all of the way through. There are also a whole bunch of custom resources. Best of all, it's on WII. It's New Super Mario Bros! Super Mario world v2.0! As a result, that was one of the most fun and enjoyable video games that I've played in a LONG time! It's certainly the best New Super Mario Bros. game that I've played! See what happens when you make an easy and enjoyable hack? Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii has a great reputation. Do you see what I'm saying? Why can't you guys follow suit?

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^Um overreaction much?

No offense but it really seems like most what you mentioned is more of a personal problem. I mean true that there's a lot of chocolate hacks out there that have bad difficulty curve or just get insanely hard but there are still some out there that have a good balanced difficulty. If hacks are too difficult for you...why don't you try getting better at playing them perhaps? I mean maybe you could just be finding all the wrong hacks but it really seems more like it's a matter of skill level.

(So much for staying away I hate this and that...)
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Hey, DPBox. Thanks for respecting my request regarding posts being approached in a positive manner.

Anyway, first of all, I'm a real sucker for original graphics. Not that it's some huge requirement of mine, since I know not everyone is an artist and may just want to get on with bringing their vision to life.
If the graphics aren't original, I really perfer the graphics to be taken from other super mario titles instead of...I dunno, Castlevania, just for the sake of consistency. Of course that's not to say I will dismiss a hack for not meeting such preferences.

As for difficulty, I just like the game to be FUN, regardless of how hard or easy. I'm not the most skilled player, but I can always savestate my way through a level if it's absolutely too hard for me.

Storyline-wise, If it's interesting and good, great. Otherwise it's a completely trivial factor for me.
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Originally posted by Face
Let's try to stay away from, "I don't like this or that." or, "I hate it when.....blah blah blah!"
I ask that your posts please be approached from a positive perspective as best as possible. =)


Oops, sorry, I forgot about that.

Well, if you want, I can delete or modify the post.

Click the character on the right side of my layout to visit my Discord server and discuss and play and look at and get updates and sneak peeks of the games and other things I'm making.

The authors of these 2 My Little Pony fan games have removed their games from the Internet.
Rise of the Clockwork Stallions has been updated! Download My Little Pony: Rise of the Clockwork Stallions DX: Director's Cut and My Little Pony: Magic Shards now! Spread this link!

For me, any chocolate hack has to have a decent story line and good (fitting) custom music, not music that just sounds good and is slapped on, but I look for things that help the atmosphere move along. It must have its own villain (ripped even) or Bowser doing something original and devious. The story must be well thought out and very well carried out, I don't care if it is light hearted or dark. Oh, and it must not be over gory as to make the villain seem like a complete evil maniac, there is a such thing as "try hard" which isn't very appealing (did that once and now I hate that I did).
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Music is absolutely the most important thing. A lack of different music can take me right out of the experience. A story line is just whatever, because I really care more about playing.
Originally posted by DPBOX
I think the ONLY fan game that's good is Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii. Newer Team seems to be the ONLY fan organization who knows EXACTLY how to make a video game! The difficulty balance in Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! I mean, oh my goodness, I was astounded on how perfect the difficulty balance was. While playing that hack, I don't think I ever found a part that I couldn't handle. It was easy and fun all of the way through. There are also a whole bunch of custom resources. Best of all, it's on WII. It's New Super Mario Bros! Super Mario world v2.0! As a result, that was one of the most fun and enjoyable video games that I've played in a LONG time! It's certainly the best New Super Mario Bros. game that I've played! See what happens when you make an easy and enjoyable hack? Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii has a great reputation. Do you see what I'm saying? Why can't you guys follow suit?


But, uh, that's an NSMB hack. NSMB is easier to begin with.
Very very very shortly, this drab, workaday world and everything in it will be changed forever! Follow us into the golden country, into the empire of the senseless!
Originally posted by 1337doom
Originally posted by DPBOX
I think the ONLY fan game that's good is Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii. Newer Team seems to be the ONLY fan organization who knows EXACTLY how to make a video game! The difficulty balance in Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! I mean, oh my goodness, I was astounded on how perfect the difficulty balance was. While playing that hack, I don't think I ever found a part that I couldn't handle. It was easy and fun all of the way through. There are also a whole bunch of custom resources. Best of all, it's on WII. It's New Super Mario Bros! Super Mario world v2.0! As a result, that was one of the most fun and enjoyable video games that I've played in a LONG time! It's certainly the best New Super Mario Bros. game that I've played! See what happens when you make an easy and enjoyable hack? Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii has a great reputation. Do you see what I'm saying? Why can't you guys follow suit?


But, uh, that's an NSMB hack. NSMB is easier to begin with.


Still a fangame nonetheless, but the means of production for ROM-hacking are different than what people think what a fangame typically connotates (by that, I mean, people often use the term "fangame" as a buzzword for making standalone games that use copyrighted resources), and why we call fanmade creations that use an existing commercial ROM and modifying it to our own ends as ROM-hacks.

Now that's out of the way. I'll say for what I look for in chocolate hacks.

-Execution of gimmicks.
-How fun or challenging the level design is when using resources not seen in SMW.
-Related to the former, I look for if the gameplay offers a fresh experience for me or not.
-How fitting the music selected is in each level.
-Less important for me to look at, if graphics class or not, or how fitting it is environmentally in levels. Gameplay is always more important than graphics.
-Even less important, is story, as it is completely optional for a fangame/ROM-hack to have. But if it does incorporate into the level design well, I'll pay attention to it along with how fun and challenging the level design is for me to play.
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Level design is top priority for me. If level design isn't good I wouldn't want to play the hack. Another thing that is important is graphics followed by bosses. A weakly executed boss or especially a N00b boss is a turn off for me
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I was more referring about how he's saying an NSMB game is good because its easy, while all NSMB games are easy. Like, he's asking SMW hackers to hold up to the difficulty standards of the NSMB games, not SMW.
Very very very shortly, this drab, workaday world and everything in it will be changed forever! Follow us into the golden country, into the empire of the senseless!
Fun level design, dark, gloomy palettes and nice use of original Super Mario World graphics along with some nice music because I don't really like playing hacks that use original music.
I mainly look for level design, but I also don't like it when people use a mishmash of graphics from varying styles across levels, such as one level having DKC's GFX and another having Kirby or NES Styled graphics. That just seems very unoprofessional to me, and I don't usually play hacks which do this. I prefer hacks which have a unique graphical style across their hack. 1upDudes' Super "Mario" World series comes to mind.
Originally posted by SpicySeafood
I mainly look for level design, but I also don't like it when people use a mishmash of graphics from varying styles across levels, such as one level having DKC's GFX and another having Kirby or NES Styled graphics. That just seems very unoprofessional to me, and I don't usually play hacks which do this. I prefer hacks which have a unique graphical style across their hack. 1upDudes' Super "Mario" World series comes to mind.

I'm the opposite of this, as I feel a singular style across an entire game gets boring without A LOT of variation.
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