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[NULL] "A Hack Thing" by MercuryPenny

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File NameA Hack Thing
Submitted:2014-12-26 05:36:02 PM by MercuryPenny
Authors:MercuryPenny
Demo:No
Length:11 exit(s)
Difficulty:Easy
Description:Want to waste 15 minutes? Check out this hack!

This is a hack I originally made around mid-2014 and revised a little after Christmas that same year to fix a few overworld bugs, along with a koopa in the first level and a glitchy koopa in level 4 due to the Sumo flames.

It's really easy, but somewhat well designed. Give it a shot and have fun!
Downloads:Original Submission Page
Permanent Link

So the hack isn't half bad.

The overall level design appeared pretty neat. There are flaws here and there but the total picture is that of a simple and nice vanilla hack. If I had to pick an aspect that I don't like, it'd mostly be the fake gradients. Most of them don't look to good and could be done a lot better. Seeing as you do use ExGFX (which makes me think about re-concidering the "vanilla" statment), you could just use Extra tiles like you do in the desert level. That gradient does look quite good.

As for the gameplay, at some minor instances it feels a little crowded with enemies. For example the beginning of "Forest Tree Top Fun". I get shot from the pipe into an army of koopas. Whilst on that level, I'm also not too huge a fan of the decoration in some instances.
[1] This koopa launches quite the surprise attack on me and he's not the only one.
Surprise attacks are nothing rare either.
[2] These falling spikes come for my head a little too fast for my taste. I'm not entirely agains them seeing as they make for a good challange but dodging can be quite hard. Maybe concider a hex-edit to slow them down?

Another thing in this hack is that it's quite easy to get stuck. Granted, you sometimes have to act idiotic but in other instances, just letting go of a button once can result in death (or waiting for death for that matter)
[3] If I let go of the key and it falls out of the screen I have to wait for time to run out. A pipe to take me back would be swell. On that matter, seeing as I enter through a pipe, I should also come out of one. (Lastly, maybe you wanna give some hint on how to find the secret in the first place. I found it only after flying around and noticing the pipe)
[4] I think there might be some way for me to get back in to get the springboard it I tried long enough. But seeing as squeezing through that hole is annoying as is, maybe you just wanna make the gap on block bigger?
[5] I know there are a lot of Boo boss fights that only give 3 throw blocks, but I'm not really a fan of them, seeing as there is 0% margin for errors. Or in other words, if I drop the block or it dissapears on me, I'm dead. Also, given the difficulty of the hack, this fight seems far too easy. Having a cape I can just kill the dry bone and have nothing to worry about other than falling in the hole (by being stupid) or loosing a block.
(Lastly, A: I think the boo could use better sprite memory as his arm appears glitched. B: The candles in the back aren't lid)

And finally, as the finishing touch, one minor thing:
[6] The level-dot isn't appearing :P



All in all I'm not really sure what to do with this hack. So I'll withhold my oppinion for now and leave things to the reviewers.
Difficulty: Easy.

Reviews are worth 1 point.
+1:
-SuperAgentYoshi
-Proto Stratos
+2 (for good review):
-Wormer21
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You missed the fourth throw block (obscured by the item box, sure, but still).

Aaaand now I question how this got accepted in the first place because there were more problems before. Apparently we're getting stricter then?
This was an interesting hack, not many issues from what I saw.




Level design was pretty decent overall, I didn't find any of the sections too flat or annoying.

However I think the secret in the desert level should be a bit easier to find. I'm not sure everyone will know to check above the blocks for invisible ones. Speaking for myself, I went into LM to find it.

Overall, good job. #w{:>}




I thought the graphics were pretty okay. The original SMW tileset didn't really clash with the SMB1 and SMB3 BG too much. However the use of the tiles in the desert level could've been a bit better. I also think the yellow exclamation point on the bouncing mushroom should be a different color because its a little hard to see.

Beyond that, good job.




The overworld, for just being one submap, was pretty good. And good job with the first level's exit being such a tight squeeze. And like JTS said, that 6th level doesn't appear.

Thumbs up on that!




As far as other comments, the switch gimmick in the castle was interesting, but in the boss fight it was a little annoying.




Overall, this hack is good. I suggest you fix the graphics in the desert, but you don't have to. But please fix the 6th level not appearing.

I vote to Accept this hack.
I played this hack last week and found it be good, with no serious flaws, although I found a few aesthetic problems and design choices to be somewhat questionable, which I shall point out, in a minute....

(flipping through memo pad for notes)


First issue I noticed, and it's incredibly minor, is that the background color is blue when the title demo first loads, but immediately changes. I don't know why that happens. It's not a real problem, but is noticeable.

The level icon for Slanted Pipe Road fails to appear if I take the route through Treetop Fun first, but it does appear if another level (I think it was the fortress) is beaten later.

Most of the levels have midway points, although they feel somewhat pointless when the level is short, and most of them are. Again, not a big problem.


As for the level design, I found it enjoyable. The majority of them focus on simple, usually vanilla, gimmicks that require no more explanation than given by the plain, straight-to-the-point level names. The first two levels felt bland (particularly Treetop Fun) and kind of boring, but the rest are very fun and more than compensate for a lackluster start to the hack. The Switch Castle had a pretty neat gimmick, although it would be better if it were really fleshed out in a longer level. The palettes are all good, though none were really amazing or brought me to tears with their beauty.


All in all, it's a good hack and serves its purpose well - a way to pass 15 minutes when you want some simple, quick fun with a hack.

This hack should be accepted and its difficulty is easy.


I pretty much disagree with the other reviewers, and I wonder how a previous version passed with acception.

For the level design, I think it's more or less good. The levels made here were nice and enjoyable, despite some flaws, like the blind jumps in the first level. I disliked how you used the switch blocks in the last two levels of the hack, where in cases like this, implied a big Mario discrimination: unless you're good at duckjumps, said parts are frustrating as hell. Eventually I took a hit and this made everything easy, since the distance between the switch and the above ceiling/block/whatever is by one tile. An overall decent design if you don't count the sillyness in the two last levels (note: mostly the castle one; the cave level could go, but it can be improved a lot).

Aesthetics aren't this great. Not bad but not exceptional either. Atleast most of the palettes weren't eye-soaring and/or confusing. Nice job with it, nothing much to say here.

Misc issues are like trademarks of your hacks. Even if very minor, I spotted a few of them:
Priority sillyness;
Silly block's palette;
Double penetration;
Funny spike top.

Difficulty level is easy, the difficulty curve is well developed here.

I'd go with rejection: the hack, for its size, shouldn't have any flaws and errors. If I have to spend 15 minutes on this, I want them to be as pleasant as possible, and for now, this hack doesn't archieve this goal.

Originally posted by MercuryPenny
Aaaand now I question how this got accepted in the first place because there were more problems before. Apparently we're getting stricter then?

I probably got stricter indeed. I'd say, the more experienced you are with reviewing hack, the higher quality you're expecting. We're in 2015, I honestly think that we need way better hacks than this. It's ridicolous that 2008 hacks are better than 80% of today's hack section. I really hope we'll be going out of this "mediocre" level, since we could point to a way higher level with today's tools.
Suika Ibuki - 25107
I must say that my first impression of this hack wasn't that bad, i really liked the title screen but.... please... "SMWC rules" isn't a good logo imo....
Also i will admit i legit laughed when i saw this, even though it's pretty funny (and silly) a plot could be a plus.
Level design... well it's pretty nice most of times, decorated and enjoyable unless for a few areas.
Now going for some screenshots:
-------Weirdness/aesthetics-------
your hack seems to be pretty much of a win at this
[O]... A pillow shaded bouncing poison shroom that i can kill bouncing on it but it kill me from the sides.... i'm not sure if that makes any sense, i would restore the original graphic here mainly because of the spooky pillow shading.
[O]I find the shading of this BG pretty weird, imo the borders should be darker and the center brighter, also the contrast at this fake hdma is pretty big imo.
[O]Hyper minor, could be ignored but this midway point is glitchy.
[O]Please, tell me what is up with this stone palette, it looks very weird.
------Errors------
[O]A 360 loop at this area doesn't get all the coins, loved that hdma btw.
[O]This path actually is pretty weird, and this OW too, i would redo it entirely.
------Verdict------
Going for rejection this time, a bunch of misc errors that could be fixed easily.
Difficult would be normal, mainly because of some unfair tricks and other stuff.
The hack have some potential keep working on it ~
#unbanMB980
Oh yeah, SMWC rules! Anyway...

The title screen is simple, flat ground with some custom blocks. Mario's recording is unedited, I'd suggest to change it. There's no plot, fine. The OW is okay, but very simple. Still better than an unchanged OW.

The first level was okay. I agree about the fact I could fall into some blind drops. Otherwise it was a fine level. Simple, but fine. Some decoration would be nice, but it's minor. The key was easy to get.

The secret level was simple like the first one. Some plants were coming weirdly from the ground, but it's not a big deal. I didn't like how it started. Even if the player lands under the Koopas, he can easily get hurt when he moves in mid-air. In the bonus section you can pass through the blocks or fall to your death if you swing on the platform to get the coins. The event doesn't show the revealed level dot if you beat this stage.

The second level is some sort of a time attack level. Quite linear and a bit fast paced. Not bad, but not great. It's decent.

The castle is decent and short. Its main gimmick was layer 2 moving down and forcing the player to react quite fast to avoid getting hit by spike walls, falling spikes and grinders. It was okay, but I disliked the falling spikes placement. They were falling a bit out of nowhere and it may be a bit unfair. The grinders are well implemented and the player has some time to react.

Desert Dunes was a really short level with a new tileset. It was quite unique, but I think this level was a bit too short. It wasn't that bad, but it felt a bit bland in some places.

Ghastly Pyramid was pretty good. At the beginning I was a little confused about the coins, but these coloured Boo's were harmless. It was a pretty good level, I liked it.

Slanted Pipe Road had some flaws with the weird slanted pipes. Their mechanics aren't very good and the player, as well as enemies can glitch through some of the pipes. Sliding Koopas can also pass through them. The palettes are fine and I like the fake HDMA, but I think these stone blocks could be lighter. They're too dark.

Nice Palace was a simple switch palace level with some coins here and there. The message is a bit strange, but it's just me. Also, I noticed the OW switch blocks are yellow instead of blue when the event occurs.

Sandstone Catacombs was an okay level, but I disliked the ground ledges. They're made out of square blocks and it looks extremely lazy. Please, fix it.

Switch Castle is the last level and it uses a switch gimmick in a more complex way than the previous level. I didn't like how the player is forced to duck-jump in a lot of places. The boss battle is a great example of it.

Overall, it was decent, but with some weird flaws. It was lacking some aesthetics (decoration), the palettes were fine most of the time (some stuff like the dark block and the purple "?" had strange palettes). Fix some easy bugs and problems and I think it would be fine. I'm going to vote for rejection, but it's close to get accepted. Just fix some of the bugs and it will be alright.

Difficulty: Easy.
Suika, I think that you could go over the level design a lot more than you did, honestly. You pretty much only talked about some minor graphical bugs that have no affect on the gameplay.

Originally posted by Wakana
I probably got stricter indeed. I'd say, the more experienced you are with reviewing hack, the higher quality you're expecting. We're in 2015, I honestly think that we need way better hacks than this. It's ridicolous that 2008 hacks are better than 80% of today's hack section. I really hope we'll be going out of this "mediocre" level, since we could point to a way higher level with today's tools.

Then at this rate, by 2016, almost no hacks will be accepted and we'll have all these old crappy hacks in the section. This wasn't made in 2015, it was made almost a year ago. Our standards shouldn't get so strict so fast that a hack was accepted a year ago, resubmitted to fix stuff 2 weeks ago and suddenly it's getting voted for rejection. It's just too much of a change in such a short time.
Suika Ibuki - 25107
Originally posted by MercuryPenny
Suika, I think that you could go over the level design a lot more than you did, honestly. You pretty much only talked about some minor graphical bugs that have no affect on the gameplay.
I dunno, if if think the gameplay is ok why i would keep talking about it?
Seems pretty pointless for me.
#unbanMB980
Originally posted by MercuryPenny
Then at this rate, by 2016, almost no hacks will be accepted and we'll have all these old crappy hacks in the section. This wasn't made in 2015, it was made almost a year ago. Our standards shouldn't get so strict so fast that a hack was accepted a year ago, resubmitted to fix stuff 2 weeks ago and suddenly it's getting voted for rejection. It's just too much of a change in such a short time.

Well, yes. Hacks like yours will be inexistant.
Damn, why it's so hard for you to improve? I don't know, learn new things, use new tools, something. I feel like your conception of making hacks is like working rather than a fun time.
Also, calling "old" hacks crappy is a big offense, especially if said by you. It makes me laugh that you can't figure the huge difference of quality between a random old hack and one of your works.
I'm not going to make this other pending thread a discussion thread, so, from now on, I'll just ignore your replies, which are only silly, irritating excuses to avoid those 5 minutes of fixing.
Enough with the arguments and personal attacks. This is for reviewing only. Anyone else found arguing and insulting people from this point on in reviews will have all their points redacted, because I'm sick of seeing this disruption.

(This mainly goes for you Wakana - lose the ego. You don't control the hack section.)

edit: in addition, standards should be steady and not increasing to the point where an average hack is unacceptable. Don't cherrypick flaws. If the graphical errors really are a big enough deal for the hack to be removed, be direct about that, instead of saying "this is minor, this is minor, this is minor, REJECT IT BECAUSE THERE'S TOO MANY PROBLEMS." I see a few Map16 errors pointed out, which yes, should be addressed, but ultimately the reasons people have pointed out are incredibly nitpicky, like one little object having a strange palette or a midway point with a single pixel missing in a stripe.

This is what we tried to do away with with the system change.

In addition, this hack is an update of a previously-existing hack in the section. It should not have gone to review, but accepted without question if nothing broke more. This is very much the case.

Just look above you...
If it's something that can be stopped, then just try to stop it!
Let me add some statements to this. Making this even into a pending thread was my fault, so sorry for that. Reviews will still be awared points though.

@SuperAgentYoshi:
If I take out the line breaks and <hr>s, it's pretty short. You only really addressed two things you didn't like (secret exit and palettes) and one thing you did like (OW) with explanation behind them.
Giving you +1 this time but please do make more detailed reviews from now on. Even for short hacks one can get some lines done.

@Proto Stratos
An overall OK review.

@Suika Ibuki and @Wakana
As has already been stated by Aeon here you both seem to act very picky.
You're rejecting this hack on minor things like a block having the wrong palette (or other minor palette stuff). I agree that with shorter hacks, the margin of error shrinks too, but these aren't errors all of the things you pointed out would rather fit the cateforie of "update next time" rather than "worth rejection".
Just read those reviews again and look at the pointed out stuff. Do you actually think that this is a hack unworthy of being accepted into the section because of this?

@Suika especially:

Originally posted by Suika Ibuki
[O]... A pillow shaded bouncing poison shroom that i can kill bouncing on it but it kill me from the sides.... i'm not sure if that makes any sense, i would restore the original graphic here mainly because of the spooky pillow shading.

That screenshot also shows the message box that warns you about them.
You further complained about two odd palettes (one of which being a block), something you yourself said to be minor, a place where you couldn't get all the coins and an OW that looks perfectly fine to me (aside from the missing level dot). Just because it doesn't only use the perfect path tiles it isn't bad. Workarounds like this are actually quite thought and resourcful.
And those things are what you (seem) to reject this hack uppon.



@MercuryPenny
I think what most people agreed on is that the gradients don't look to well. I think you really want to improve them in your next update (or leave them out).
The second thing seems to be the switch blocks (or buttons or w/e). they actually can be pressed by jumping through them from below. which allows for avoiding most of the tight jumps.
If this was unintended, please fix it, and please DO make the gaps bigger.

Originally posted by MercuryPenny
You missed the fourth throw block (obscured by the item box, sure, but still).

Fair enough.
But seeing as this is overall an easy hack, I think you could just make the room bigger and add more blocks and maybe make the fight more fun/creative as a whole.

This thread will remain closed to avoid further drama, if you feel the need to reply, send me a PM or contact me on IRC.
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400 animes completed ✓
6000 episodes completed ✓
100 Days completed ✓
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