Man, has it really been more than 4 years since we hosted one of these?
Welcome to what is only SMWCentral's third Yoshi's Island Level Design contest, shockingly enough. I'll be your host this year. Yoshi's Island is a game with a lot of great potential and I'm excited to see whatever the entrants come up with! I hope all of you SMW people are willing to come out of your shells a little bit with this one!
RULES:
- DEADLINE: You have from now until Dec 29, 2018 at 11:59:59 PM PST (55 days from now) to complete and submit a level which you feel best showcases your efforts. No extensions will be offered.
- As with the prior YI contests, this one is considered “anything goes,” meaning ASM (provided it does not break the game), extensive graphical changes, and custom music will be accepted. These things can help or hurt your score depending on how well they are executed, but the prime focus of this contest will still be level design.
- You cannot submit a level which you have made prior to the contest.
- Your level should be compatible with bsnes/real hardware, since one of the judges will be playing the submissions on a SNES.
- For the convenience of the judges, your level must be accessed from the 1-1 level tile on the overworld map.
- You may work with 1 additional partner for level design or ASM. (NOTE: this only applies to ASM specifically made for your entry. The creators of any other ASM you use do not have to be included as collaborators.)
- Your level MUST be submitted as a .bps patch.
- You will be required to include a text file to help judges reach 100% in your level, in case we encounter difficulty reaching 100 percent even after multiple playthroughs. Examples of help would include a list of how many red coins/flowers we should have by certain points in the stage, hints about where hidden rooms are located, etc.
- If your level does not include 100% collectibles, you must explain that in your text file.
- Kaizo levels are allowed, provided they are short, fun, not frustrating, and don't require extensive tool usage to complete.
Judging:
We'll be using a 50 point scale for judging this year.
Level Design (30 points): Is your level fun to play overall? Is it engaging? Does it offer a smooth, enjoyable level of challenge without being too difficult or too easy?
Creativity (10 points): Does the level take Yoshi's Island and do something new and interesting with it? This can include a fun ASM gimmick or finding new and unique ways to use existing enemies and assets.
Presentation (5 points): This is how good the level looks and sounds, and whether there are any obvious issues such as bad-looking palettes or graphical glitches.
Functionality (5 points): Does the level/ASM work properly? Are there any issues which affect the player's ability to progress? Can the player become trapped and unable to proceed?
The following will result in bonus points being added to your overall score.
- Level can be completed with 100 points (Up to 3 bonus points)*
- Level has a custom name in-game (1 bonus point)
- Level has a custom tile on the map screen (1 bonus point)
*You may not receive these points if there are major issues in your level that cause the necessary collectibles to despawn and prevent the player from getting 100%.
The following will result in your entry being disqualified.
- The judges discover that you have submitted a level that was made prior to the contest.
- The level is totally unplayable.
- The level is not bsnes-compatible.
- It is impossible to reach the end of the level.
- The level isn't accessed from the 1-1 slot.
- The level is not submitted as a .bps patch.
If you have any questions about the rules or judging criteria, ask.
The Judges:
The judges for this year's contest are:
XenonZed - The Yoshi's Island section moderator.
Jimmy - Composer extraordinaire and top 3 finisher in both of the previous YI contests!
trihex - Yoshi's Island speedrunner and full-time Twitch streamer! You may also recognize him as the guest judge for the second YILDC.
In addition to judging, trihex will be live streaming his playthroughs of the levels sometime during the judging period, so don't miss it!
Submitting Your Level:
When your level is ready to submit:
1. Use Floating IPS to create a .bps patch of your level. Name it appropriately.
2. Create a zip folder containing the .bps patch for your level and the required text file as stated in the rules.
3. Upload your zip folder to your file bin.
4. Make a post in this thread containing a link to the uploaded file. (Right click the download link in your file bin and select "Copy link address")
If you wish to update your level after submission, you have until the contest deadline to submit the updated version. Updates and new entries will not be accepted after the deadline has passed.
Please only use this thread if you are submitting your level or an update to it.
Click here for a link to the discussion thread and helpful resources.
Also check out the #yi-hacking channel on our Discord server.
Good luck!
Welcome to what is only SMWCentral's third Yoshi's Island Level Design contest, shockingly enough. I'll be your host this year. Yoshi's Island is a game with a lot of great potential and I'm excited to see whatever the entrants come up with! I hope all of you SMW people are willing to come out of your shells a little bit with this one!
RULES:
- DEADLINE: You have from now until Dec 29, 2018 at 11:59:59 PM PST (55 days from now) to complete and submit a level which you feel best showcases your efforts. No extensions will be offered.
- As with the prior YI contests, this one is considered “anything goes,” meaning ASM (provided it does not break the game), extensive graphical changes, and custom music will be accepted. These things can help or hurt your score depending on how well they are executed, but the prime focus of this contest will still be level design.
- You cannot submit a level which you have made prior to the contest.
- Your level should be compatible with bsnes/real hardware, since one of the judges will be playing the submissions on a SNES.
- For the convenience of the judges, your level must be accessed from the 1-1 level tile on the overworld map.
- You may work with 1 additional partner for level design or ASM. (NOTE: this only applies to ASM specifically made for your entry. The creators of any other ASM you use do not have to be included as collaborators.)
- Your level MUST be submitted as a .bps patch.
- You will be required to include a text file to help judges reach 100% in your level, in case we encounter difficulty reaching 100 percent even after multiple playthroughs. Examples of help would include a list of how many red coins/flowers we should have by certain points in the stage, hints about where hidden rooms are located, etc.
- If your level does not include 100% collectibles, you must explain that in your text file.
- Kaizo levels are allowed, provided they are short, fun, not frustrating, and don't require extensive tool usage to complete.
Judging:
We'll be using a 50 point scale for judging this year.
Level Design (30 points): Is your level fun to play overall? Is it engaging? Does it offer a smooth, enjoyable level of challenge without being too difficult or too easy?
Creativity (10 points): Does the level take Yoshi's Island and do something new and interesting with it? This can include a fun ASM gimmick or finding new and unique ways to use existing enemies and assets.
Presentation (5 points): This is how good the level looks and sounds, and whether there are any obvious issues such as bad-looking palettes or graphical glitches.
Functionality (5 points): Does the level/ASM work properly? Are there any issues which affect the player's ability to progress? Can the player become trapped and unable to proceed?
The following will result in bonus points being added to your overall score.
- Level can be completed with 100 points (Up to 3 bonus points)*
- Level has a custom name in-game (1 bonus point)
- Level has a custom tile on the map screen (1 bonus point)
*You may not receive these points if there are major issues in your level that cause the necessary collectibles to despawn and prevent the player from getting 100%.
The following will result in your entry being disqualified.
- The judges discover that you have submitted a level that was made prior to the contest.
- The level is totally unplayable.
- The level is not bsnes-compatible.
- It is impossible to reach the end of the level.
- The level isn't accessed from the 1-1 slot.
- The level is not submitted as a .bps patch.
If you have any questions about the rules or judging criteria, ask.
The Judges:
The judges for this year's contest are:
XenonZed - The Yoshi's Island section moderator.
Jimmy - Composer extraordinaire and top 3 finisher in both of the previous YI contests!
trihex - Yoshi's Island speedrunner and full-time Twitch streamer! You may also recognize him as the guest judge for the second YILDC.
In addition to judging, trihex will be live streaming his playthroughs of the levels sometime during the judging period, so don't miss it!
Submitting Your Level:
When your level is ready to submit:
1. Use Floating IPS to create a .bps patch of your level. Name it appropriately.
2. Create a zip folder containing the .bps patch for your level and the required text file as stated in the rules.
3. Upload your zip folder to your file bin.
4. Make a post in this thread containing a link to the uploaded file. (Right click the download link in your file bin and select "Copy link address")
If you wish to update your level after submission, you have until the contest deadline to submit the updated version. Updates and new entries will not be accepted after the deadline has passed.
Please only use this thread if you are submitting your level or an update to it.
Click here for a link to the discussion thread and helpful resources.
Also check out the #yi-hacking channel on our Discord server.
Good luck!