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VLDC11 - Results!

Originally posted by FPzero
If you'd handed me the item at the start of the section and basically said "alright, now you have to carry this with you while swimming," that could have been interesting since swimming physics get altered. Swimming through boo rings or avoiding spikes while carrying an item would have been an interesting way to handle underwater stuff. Play to a level's strengths. If you want me to carry something underwater, make me have to deal with the unique consequences of carrying something underwater.

I specifically avoided that whole idea for the sole purpose of not invoking the wrath of item baby sitting. Which I often hear is frowned upon.
                                                                                                                  
                              
Originally posted by Plasmodium00
Originally posted by FPzero
If you'd handed me the item at the start of the section and basically said "alright, now you have to carry this with you while swimming," that could have been interesting since swimming physics get altered. Swimming through boo rings or avoiding spikes while carrying an item would have been an interesting way to handle underwater stuff. Play to a level's strengths. If you want me to carry something underwater, make me have to deal with the unique consequences of carrying something underwater.

I specifically avoided that whole idea for the sole purpose of not invoking the wrath of item baby sitting. Which I often hear is frowned upon.

Item babysitting specifically refers to examples from older times when levels were just filled with random springboards and p-switches and things like that that you'd need to go out into the level to find then bring back to a specific place to use. It's totally possible to base a level around carrying something without it being considered "babysitting". In this case, carrying something while underwater gives Mario a new set of physics, so basing the level around those physics wouldn't have been babysitting as much as it would've been a core concept.

Regardless, I hope you now understand my point that I wasn't stuck searching for keys. It was that they felt superfluous in the first place.
이번 VLDC11에 참가하면서 재미있게 즐긴 것 같다.
다만 작년 VLDCX 내 레벨을 능가하지 못한 것 같아서 그것만 후회한다.

-Google Translate-
It seems to have enjoyed having participated in VLDC11 this time.
But I regret that I did not surpass my level in VLDCX last year.
Wow, 22nd place. I didn't expected that. I rather expected 60-70th place. To think my only target for this contest was avoiding Worst 10. So yeah, going from 166th place from VLDCX to 22nd place here that's huge improvement and to tell you the truth I don't think I deserved that. From last VLDCX and OLDC, I didn't even touch Lunar Magic.

I want to congratulate the winners and also all participants. I want to thank ECS.98 for reviewing my level, so I could improve it a little. Lastly, I want to thank the judges. I really expected judging period last 3 months and they shorten it to just 1 month. Awesome job.
Originally posted by OP
10th: "HARMONIOUS HEAVEN", by Emerald Shell, with 82.75/100.00 points
#smrpg{:D}

But seriously, it's such a phenomenal score for a level that feels kinda inconsistent with some of its numerous yet creative ideas. I was aiming for top 30 and hoping for top 10 and my hopes came true. It wouldn't have happened if some experienced level designers hadn't refused to participate.
Now, my goal is getting to win a contest #w{>=)}


I'm surprised to have placed higher than ECS.98, Blind Devil, WalkingPlaces, or PokerFace whose levels also looked brilliant, even tgough I didn't get to play many of them.

Originally posted by FPzero
I think I definitely preferred the 1st and 3rd sections of the level better because you were continually moving instead of slowing down to figure out puzzles.

Originally posted by Ryaa
Unfortunately this level also suffers from out of place gimmicks that don't seem to merge together due to some sort of creative constraint whether it was a shortage of time or something else.

Originally posted by Morsel
Taken as a whole, perhaps there is a slight lack of focus between the three parts.

I swear I sinned by inconsistencies throughout my level, either nature or gimmicks' execution. I already knew that, but when I was designing the level, I couldn't do much about it.

Originally posted by FPzero
I'm not sure if I liked the Pokey replacements or not. They stuck out a little because they were the only enemy graphic that got changed. I honestly think you could've just kept normal pokey graphics for them.

I thought having original Pokeys graphics wouldn't be as fitting to a sky level and I was planning to change other enemies' graphics as well, but I couldn't find anything that would work well.

Originally posted by Ryaa
The one part that I didn't really enjoy playing all that much was the part of the puzzle section where you had to keep the mushroom in order to progress. It's cool that the different reset doors allow you to get a new mushroom though that didn't really help me have much more fun than I originally did though this could just be personal taste.

I wanted to do something to prevent anyone from damage boosting. I could've forced a shrink before those puzzle sections, but I thought putting breakable blocks would be the most fair solution.

Originally posted by FrozenQuills
My only big issue is that the last dragon coin can easily be bypassed by tanking
the spiny hit. I think most players will find that out by accident.

Seems you're not the only one who didn't mind lack of focus (much), are you? Anyways, I could've placed the dragon coin under the turn block so you can't break the puzzle taking damage to the spiny.

Originally posted by Morsel
It seemed strongly reminiscent of some other levels from the past in some respects, and perhaps played out as a sort of mixture.

Not sure what levels you were thinking about, but I can see some similarities to Throw Block Heaven, Swissotel, or Cutting in Line. I was inspired by those.

Originally posted by Morsel
The shortcut was not marked all that clearly.

Dang it!

Originally posted by Morsel
One of the fuzzies is completely underneath the cloud, posing no danger.

I thought it wasn't substantial so I didn't even bother removing it.

Originally posted by Morsel
The blue green spring looks solid to the player.

I didn't think it would turn out unobvious. Could've used reversed rails, but I wasn't sure how fitting they would turn out. I didn't find any more fitting tile for 1F0 except that rail.

Also, congrats to judges for reviewing every level in 1 month. Didn't expect the results to come out so quickly due to the fact that every single VLDCX entry got reviewed after 3000 years. That was disproportionately longer than judging all the VLDC11 entries.

And the last, but not the least, shoutouts to anyone else who placed in top 10, in particular Christian07 and Dan Drigues who surprised us with amazing talent for designing levels as well as anyone in top 3, in particular those both users with white usernames!
I have a Discord server as well! (by joining, you agree to the rules)
-----
Basically, I believe in peace and bashing two bricks together.

Wow! The judges were pretty fast at judging considering the amount of entries there were this year.

Congrats to the winners!
Layout by Erik557
Hi.
Well, the results are here! First of all, i'd like to congratulate the judges for the really great job in judging all these levels in such a short time!
Going through the levels as a Fan-Judge myself, i was pretty impressed to see it done so fast!

Now, for my results particularly, i really don't know much what to say...
I'm really happy with my placement! Being my first time entering a VLDC and my first time even finishing a level, it's incredible that i got as high as 11th!
There is some natural disappointment from being the first out of the Top10 xD. But i'm satisfied with the results!
I'm actually impressed i placed higher than some levels i considered better than my own, mainly Le Reservoir by Blind Devil, Metallic Metropolis by PokerFace, Oh That's Hot by Mad Lad and Hide And Seek Items by SomeGuy712x, those were really great levels! (There would probably be more levels i could mention here, but i didn't play through all of them yet)

Also, congratulations to the winners! Idol and Lazy, S.N.N and Ft029! You guys did great!
And shoutout to everyone in the Top10! Especially Dan Drigues, for being new and making such a great platforming level; and Emerald Shell, you asked me if your level was Top10 quality, so there's your answer! xD
Also shoutout to Galaer for making such a huge improvement over his VLDCX placement with a pretty unique level!

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Now, for some people i wanted to answer here:

Originally posted by GbreezeSunset
And ECS just around the corner, keep making levels cause yours was great!!

Thank you so much Gbreeze! Thank you for the shout out, and for supporting me since the very beggining of this contest! It really means a lot to me!

Originally posted by ft029
Wow, that far exceeded my expectations! Congratulations also to Lazy and idol for that wonderful level, as well as some of my favorites Dan Drigues, Pyro, Sixcorby, and ECS.98.

Thank you for mentioning my level! I'm really glad to know it was one of your favorites!

Originally posted by Emerald Shell
I'm surprised to have placed higher than ECS.98, Blind Devil, WalkingPlaces, or PokerFace whose levels also looked brilliant [...]

Thank you again for complimenting my level Emerald Shell! The support you've shown for my level multiple times really makes me happy!
Also, congratulations again on the Top10!

Originally posted by Galaer
I want to thank ECS.98 for reviewing my level, so I could improve it a little.

You're welcome! I'm glad to know i could help you!
And congratulations on improving so much from the previous contest!

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Overall i'm really happy to be a part of this contest!
It was really fun to make a level and play through so many great entries! It provided me a lot of new experiences with level designing and Fan-Judging!

I'm also really glad that my level was received so well within the community! The support i received from everyone during this time really meant a lot for me!

It was a really great start for me in SMW Hacking and in this community! And it really gives me the motivation to keep going!
I'm really excited to interact with and contribute more to the site and the community in the future!
My Youtube Channel
Admittedly that 501 seconds thing does seem really harsh. Does it really break the rules that bad if it's 1 second over the limit, in a level that doesn't even take that long to finish? I get it if it's like 530 seconds or like 600+ but 501?


Want progress on 100 Rooms of Enemies: The Nightmare Edition? Go here to see.

(rip my other userbars momentarily)

Originally posted by Plasmodium00
50% of the judges thought it was good (morsel and frozenquills) because they found the keys and realized their purpose.
50% of the judges thought it was bad (ryaa and fp) because they couldn't find keys that were blatantly handed to them, or they thought they were supposed to "search" for them.

Okie-doke.
if all 4 judges were supposed to score the same way why would there be 4 judges lmao
ask me if i give a f*ck...
Originally posted by Daizo Dee Von
Admittedly that 501 seconds thing does seem really harsh. Does it really break the rules that bad if it's 1 second over the limit, in a level that doesn't even take that long to finish? I get it if it's like 530 seconds or like 600+ but 501?


We have to be consistent and strict about it. I know it's meant as a joke but it's still breaking the rules, a rule I very explicitly outlined this year because of the limit. It was their decision to play with fire and they happened to get burned.

and i laughed at the image
This is just my opinion, but I think the 501-second level should've just received a small penalty instead of a complete DQ, especially if the level can easily be cleared in far less time. (But of course, that's just my opinion.)
I hope I won











okay, seriously, congrats to all the participants and specially the judges for taking the time to play through 150 levels because honestly I can only imagine having to write detailed commentary for every single one of the 96 levels in Super Mario World, and VLDC11 is even more than that
I have to say... Really enthused about scoring in the top 30th percentile with all of the awesome entries folks have submitted. Being my first submission to SMW Central, I'll definitely take in all the great feedback from my peers and judges!
Originally posted by Hobz
Originally posted by Plasmodium00
50% of the judges thought it was good (morsel and frozenquills) because they found the keys and realized their purpose.
50% of the judges thought it was bad (ryaa and fp) because they couldn't find keys that were blatantly handed to them, or they thought they were supposed to "search" for them.

Okie-doke.
if all 4 judges were supposed to score the same way why would there be 4 judges lmao

Did you really feel the need to respond to a conversation that was well over and done with, there Hobz?
Sounds like you're baiting a response again, which if I remember correctly, is what got you banned last time.
But here's your response. Happy?
                                                                                                                  
                              
On the topic of the 501 seconds disqualification, i'd say the key word here is consistency. The rules have been defined, and the judges should make sure to follow them as they are, and if a level breaks them, it should get punished.
No matter if it's a joke, it's still breaking the rules, and being "innocent" is no excuse either, as the rules were made to be followed, and if the judges would start making one exception for an "innocent" joke, there wouldn't be anything stopping other people to come up with more excuses to break the rules even further.
Also, the rule clearly states to "Not make your level's timer higher than 500 seconds", even if the level can be completed in less timee. This was the most discussed rule of this contest, so it should've been clear for everyone.

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Now, i wanted to comment a few stuff i didn't get to coment before as i had to go off to college, so i'll do it now.

First of all, i'd like to say that the judges' reviews were fair and well made, and i do agree with most of their comments about my level.
There are, however, a few that i didn't fully understand or agree with, and i'll quickly comment on a few of them. Note that i'm not doing this to sound rude or ungrateful, or to say that it should've been different, these are mostly just a few questions and comments i have on their feedback.

Originally posted by FPzero
So I have no idea how you accomplished basically any of the gimmicks in this level but I am impressed. I'd better go try and understand what I just played through. (I went to go check at this point) Oh wow, THAT is clever manipulation of sprite limits. Really interesting that you can overload the level with sprites and cause everything else in the sublevel to despawn. That's some super technical creativity.

This is the first thing that called my attention on FP's review (as it's the first thing that's written there lol).
The fact is the review dedicates a whole paragraph to talk about creativity and how the level was completely impressive in that matter (and in fact, it's the one review that talks the most about creativity), yet this was my lowest score in creativity =P

Like, i don't mean i'm not satisfied with the score or that i think it's not fair, as i noticed FP is pretty picky with creativity scores, and 24 is already a pretty high one! But if i'm being totally honest here, i did expect to get some higher scores, and i'm saying this mostly because that's what i heard from pretty much everyone who played my level ever since the contest started, including the 2 Fan-Judges who gave it a 30/30 and said it was "an example of creativity at it's fullest" or that they've "never seen such a creative level".

But i'm not writing this to say i don't agree with the score, or that i preffer other people's opinions. But rather, i just wanted to know, what was my level lacking in creativity that made it lose a few points? I'm asking this out of genuine curiosity, and i don't mean to disagree with your opinion, i just want to know what's your opinion on the creativity category as a whole, as i kinda have my own definition of what i consider a full example of creativity (which is what i used to give 30/30 scores in my Fan-Judge thread, even though i know i was a bit too generous), and that's what i used to try and make my level to shot heavily for the creativity category. So i'm just wondering what is your opinion on it, and what you think my level was missing, or what could've been improved in that matter. (Also, if the other 3 judges wanted to answer this question as well, it would be much appreciated!)

Originally posted by Ryaa
The setbacks I did have mainly involved the Boss and the long sets of 1 coin blocks that gave you nothing productive when hitting them. The Boss itself does utilize the second half of the gimmick, though it would have been cool (if possible) to include usage of the first half of the gimmick set.

Well, the coin blocks weren't really meant to be anything other than the simple coins/coin blocks scattered around every Mario level in existence. They're just the kind of standard collectible every level has, and i don't think any of these were ever meant to be productive. That's a kind of a weird nitpick to comment, but it's ok xD

As for the boss, i don't exactly get what you mean, the boss does utilize both gimmicks of the level! It was the way i found to end it by combining the two gimmicks i developed throughout the level: the first, the sprite limit cap, was used in the boss fight to allow just the Boo and the Koopa to spawn, leaving the Keys out, and the second, the sprite loop gimmick, was used to make the Keys instantly spawn when the Koopas are killed.

Originally posted by FrozenQuills
However, while the enemy despawning trick and enemy puzzles are cool, it's really not much different than entering a different room or just having a differently arranged set of obstacles.

I'd just say that this comparation isn't exactly fair. I mean, doing things like this by using two different levels has been done a million times before, even vanilla SMW does that.
The whole catch with my level was finding a way to do it without utilizing two rooms! Having everything happen in the same room, without having to use a screen exit, reset door or anything! That was the whole uniqueness of the way this gimmmick works!
And i don't think it's fair to just throw that uniqueness out and say it's similar to the "easy way" that everyone has done before.

I hope i'm not sounding rude with this, as it's really not my intention, and i did like your review! It's just that, as i said, i don't feel it's a fair comparation.

Originally posted by Morsel
The level begins with a VLDC11 staple: an opening area with peculiar decorations. The switch seems like it must work by magic. Let me scroll the screen to the left so I can see the enemy vanish before my very eyes---the enemy stays where he is. A magician never explains his tricks. (Of course you can just ignore the switch and go above it to its horizontal position or scroll right some way before it.)

Gotta love how Morsel starts his review by utterly breaking the only unnavoidable technical limitation of my level: screen scrolling! xD

Originally posted by Ryaa
There is nothing in the boss as it is now that feels truly challenging or memorable.

Originally posted by FrozenQuills
The boss was a bit of a let down however. You basically just do the same thing 3 times. There's also lag, probably due to how the key spawning works.

Originally posted by Morsel
The boss fight is an interesting concept, but it is rather repetitive, and there is not much to killing three blue koopas.

I get that the boss was a little underwhelming gameplay-wise, as there isn't really much i could have done. By using both gimmicks combined, i was unable to work with sprites (because of the sprite limit) and with Layer 2 (as it was needed to make the Keys fall), so the only thing i could work with was Layer 1, and i've been told before that using spikes isn't a way to make a boss more challenging, but just more annoying.
Also, about it being repetitive, i don't know what i could've done to change that, the Key spawning setups had to be a single setup, otherwise the sprite limit wouldn't work.

I'd just say i'm rather disappointed none of the judges mentioned the mechanics used in the boss, by combining both gimmicks into one single setup for spawning the Keys instantly after killing the Koopas. Though that's mostly because the boss took me the longest to actually find something that would work while utilizing the gimmicks previously seen in the level, and i was really happy when i managed to combine both of them into one setup!

But well, i do understand the criticism about it being uninteresting from a gameplay perspective, and it being rather repetitive.

Also, a little weird FrozenQuills mentioned lag, since he said he was playing on Snes9x, and the level didn't lag for me in Snes9x. (Though it does on ZMZ)

Originally posted by FPzero
The level looked and sounded pretty basic, but I liked the little animated "candles". They were a cute touch.

Originally posted by Ryaa
One thing that really caught my eye in terms of aesthetics are the candle flames and spiders hanging from webs in some sections. I have never seen someone use escalators in such an unexpected way so when I first saw them I was like "No way."

Also, thank you guys for the comments on aesthetics! I'm glad you liked the candles!

Welp, i guess i can't make a post without writing a book lol.

My Youtube Channel
Originally posted by Plasmodium00
Did you really feel the need to respond to a conversation that was well over and done with, there Hobz?
Sounds like you're baiting a response again, which if I remember correctly, is what got you banned last time.
But here's your response. Happy?

Can we please like... keep discussions grudge free?
Twitter
We are dropping the whole back and forth sniping conversation surrounding Plasmodium's level. Any further complaints or issues about the level's scoring should be directed to my PM inbox. Anyone continuing the conversation in this thread after this point will earn you a three-day ban because I am tired of looking in here and seeing this.
Originally posted by Daizo Dee Von

Real talk, this is a great summary of this year's Vanilla Contest. Therefore, I have enshrined it on my profile, where it may greet random visitors forevermore.
                                                                                                                  
                              
Originally posted by ECS.98
First of all, i'd like to say that the judges' reviews were fair and well made, and i do agree with most of their comments about my level.
me too! If anything i wish they were more critical of my level lol. I think that contests are the best opportunity short of getting some real good beta testers to get some open and honest feedback about the levels you design. I've always been uncertain about the levels I make, so stuff like vldc is a great chance to throw something out there, learn what works and what doesn't, and try to minimize the negatives while building onto the positives! #smrpg{y}
ask me if i give a f*ck...
Wow! This VLDC is great for idol to win.
Congratulations to all winners including idol and Lazy.
I am yoshi9429 enjoying Lunar Magic and Touhou Danmakufu ph3 and RPG Maker MV.