this is a new series i'll be doing. rather than just point out minor bugs, i will be analyzing every single level in-depth and providing my own opinion regarding their status in the hack.
please note that my opinions can be pretty disagreeable at times and you will likely not agree with half the things i say. with that out of the way, let's get started
ah, the quintessential first level. it provides a window into the rest of the hack and can very easily keep someone in or make them give up immediately. making a first level is a very delicate art that requires lots of skill in level design to create something that is enjoyable and keeps the player interested. does this level accomplish that?
to an extent, yes. the first half has some dead spots but it is overall an enjoyable sublevel, albeit one without any particularly creative obstacles. the 1-up is in a nice spot, but very close to the beginning, which can encourage 1-up grinding. given the high difficulty of the hack, we will have to assess whether that's a good thing or a bad thing - do we want to have the player waste time grinding for lives, get set back a lot very often, or minimalize punishment for dying too much? no matter what the case, the 1-up positioning should be at least reassessed.
the sparky circling the block at the beginning is an awkward holdover from when the corridor was only 3 blocks high instead of 4. my suggestions are to either extend the block horizontally, or replace it altogether. as far as i know sparkies are used nowhere else in the level so i might be leaning towards the latter.
easily the most bland section of the first half is the falling platform section. i'm not sure why it's there and you have to be either extremely bad at super mario world or mess up the timing on your jump really badly to die here. i do have a question, though - how are you supposed to get the morton coin without dying? is it intended to be possible or is it a tease?
then there are a few screens of trivial ball-and-chain dodging, with a thwimp that clips into the wall and serves little-to-no purpose as a result. i already covered this in the pm i sent him but it could be an interesting setup if the thwimp was moved to the right a bit so that it posed somewhat of an actual threat.
then, the second half. i honestly had to replay it to gather an opinion on it because i kept forgetting what it was like. many of the obstacles pose little-to-no threat at all, and it brings the level down a bit. you can dodge every single enemy with ease, there are no creative setups that make it interesting, and really, i'm having trouble recalling it already and i just played it, went backwards through it, and played it again like 2 minutes ago.
i think the first half is a keeper, maybe with some minor edits to improve it and the second half needs a definite revamp
should i keep going? are my opinions so horrible that i shouldn't even try? let me know, or don't because if i don't get any responses i won't even bother
please note that my opinions can be pretty disagreeable at times and you will likely not agree with half the things i say. with that out of the way, let's get started
1-1: Castle Escape
ah, the quintessential first level. it provides a window into the rest of the hack and can very easily keep someone in or make them give up immediately. making a first level is a very delicate art that requires lots of skill in level design to create something that is enjoyable and keeps the player interested. does this level accomplish that?
to an extent, yes. the first half has some dead spots but it is overall an enjoyable sublevel, albeit one without any particularly creative obstacles. the 1-up is in a nice spot, but very close to the beginning, which can encourage 1-up grinding. given the high difficulty of the hack, we will have to assess whether that's a good thing or a bad thing - do we want to have the player waste time grinding for lives, get set back a lot very often, or minimalize punishment for dying too much? no matter what the case, the 1-up positioning should be at least reassessed.
the sparky circling the block at the beginning is an awkward holdover from when the corridor was only 3 blocks high instead of 4. my suggestions are to either extend the block horizontally, or replace it altogether. as far as i know sparkies are used nowhere else in the level so i might be leaning towards the latter.
easily the most bland section of the first half is the falling platform section. i'm not sure why it's there and you have to be either extremely bad at super mario world or mess up the timing on your jump really badly to die here. i do have a question, though - how are you supposed to get the morton coin without dying? is it intended to be possible or is it a tease?
then there are a few screens of trivial ball-and-chain dodging, with a thwimp that clips into the wall and serves little-to-no purpose as a result. i already covered this in the pm i sent him but it could be an interesting setup if the thwimp was moved to the right a bit so that it posed somewhat of an actual threat.
then, the second half. i honestly had to replay it to gather an opinion on it because i kept forgetting what it was like. many of the obstacles pose little-to-no threat at all, and it brings the level down a bit. you can dodge every single enemy with ease, there are no creative setups that make it interesting, and really, i'm having trouble recalling it already and i just played it, went backwards through it, and played it again like 2 minutes ago.
i think the first half is a keeper, maybe with some minor edits to improve it and the second half needs a definite revamp
should i keep going? are my opinions so horrible that i shouldn't even try? let me know, or don't because if i don't get any responses i won't even bother