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Vanilla Level Design 2009: Discussion

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VLDCDiscussion

what the fu-
that's a lot!
mine only got one,but meh.
i care about level design,not the winning.if i could get to know what to improve,i go and edit the level some more,to be better and have more exits hidden,and switches,and make it longer then :P
Originally posted by Thundahack
I wouldn't be surprised if it was many. GVirusG's Caramel Cave had 13 exits.


Darn! I has trying to have the most exits, but I only have 12 (only 1 less arrrrrgggggghhhhhh!!!!!!!)

Still, I just want the results today. I just want to see if my type of level design is good or not before I release my main hack.

Originally posted by instantwarpinglauncherblock
i care about level design,not the winning.if i could get to know what to improve,i go and edit the level some more,to be better and have more exits hidden,and switches,and make it longer then :P


Yeah, same here. I wanted to make it long as well though, so I achieved that through number of exits.
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I really am concerned about the design, not the length. However, I most likely won't need the criticism, since I'll most likely only hack SMW after a long while.
It's reasons like the tons of multiple exits that I'm not finished today. You try playing a level with 13 exits, having to find them all and then trying to judge it. One level like that can take like, 45 minutes. By that time, willpower is sapped. So no, I'm not done. But I'm not the only one not done. ShodanWii has been telling me throughout this judging time that he's been very busy in real life so he's not finished either. So please, understand that we're working on them. Sorry that it keeps getting delayed. Next year I swear that I'm disallowing multiple exits past 2.
Originally posted by FirePheonix0
It's reasons like the tons of multiple exits that I'm not finished today. You try playing a level with 13 exits, having to find them all and then trying to judge it. One level like that can take like, 45 minutes. By that time, willpower is sapped. So no, I'm not done. But I'm not the only one not done. ShodanWii has been telling me throughout this judging time that he's been very busy in real life so he's not finished either. So please, understand that we're working on them. Sorry that it keeps getting delayed. Next year I swear that I'm disallowing multiple exits past 2.


Or you could have them put the exits and thier locations in the readme (I did that, so I can tell mine hasn't been judged).

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Coolness.

But rather than griping about taxing entries, you wanna share a notable point of progress with us?
I made a standalone game once, look for Seabug Stampede on Google Play.
Honestly, I just put some exits around for the insane people to find o_O


JUDGES, YOU DON´T HAVE TO FIND ALL EXITS IN MY LEVEL!
If you guys went the normal path and the hidden pipe in the normal path, then you guys don´t need to do more.

I actually made up a pile of poo with this level, since I just hadn´t enough time to make an actual room for every exit XPXPXPXP

so judges, if you haven´t already judged my level, then don´t try to find all exits if it takes too much time for you.
so yeah, hoho





www.youtube.com/gvirusg
www.dailymotion.com/G-Virusg
Alright, my apologies for making a six exit level. I'm sure that one of my exits is causing tons of pain to find. If you want, I'll give a pretty clear hint as to where it is.
are we going to have the results yet?!
i'ma sick of waiting.ah,i'm outta here,for now!
I think I know why it's taking so long: They are also busy making cool stuff for C3 (plus they have lives), and they probably only have a few levels left anyways.
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All right, I've been neglecting this, putting this at the back of my mind, casting this aside. I'm sorry. I'll try to complete these. And just a reminder, I am not a judge. I'm here to provide feedback on your levels if you ask. That's my job as a beta tester/hack reviwer.

I finished x1372's Curse of the Golden Mushroom. Here's the Word Doc.

Now for anonimato's Bowser's Nightmare Factory 2.
Then The riddle's Black Hole.
Then GVirusG's Caramel Cave.
Then pipefreak's Mountain Grounds.
Then I8Strudel's 3 Trials.
Then Dylan Yoshi's A Castle.
Then Darkrai's Triple Terror.

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Thanks for the response on that. Always good to get extra opinions.

I spent a long time on the palettes for most rooms, though I guess I could have done a bit more with the switches. In those cases I just set the background to match the brighter colors of the pipes. In retrospect, yeah I should have darkened it a bit, though oddly none of the people testing it mentioned that at all.

As for the stuff outside the level (restocks, color of blocks flying out) I didn't mess with that because I was told specifically that things outside the level didn't matter. As for the blocks, it would take some serious editing to make them shoot different colors for different switches in the same level.

The reason I put the level in the vanilla dome is because its the first place I checked that has a normal and secret exit where the normal exit leads to either a normal or secret exit (though come to think of it, donut plains 1 or 2 would have worked just as well for that). I needed that for the "restock rooms" I added.

A few other notes -

Yes, I slightly edited the palette of ever section. And the red pipe was especially bright to make it more noticeable when going down the slope above it.

The palette in that forest transition area could have used more work, but it was such a short area I chose to skip it.

Yes, the danger entering the pipe in the water section was intentional. However, given how the fish follow you, its very easy to lead them out of the way by standing on top of the pipe.

Your third screenshot actually shows one of the things I wish I'd edited. Originally I was using floating skulls on that lava but took them out since they caused some lag. I never took out the extra pit for them to fall into.

I'm not terribly good at figuring out a few details with the sprite interactions (I had a few sections where I moved the background to prevent enemies or mushrooms from going behind it). Still, I probably should have made those few gas bubbles transparent. Not entirely sure how to do that short of copying a level with transparency and moving everything over though.

The place with the odd support beams was a piece of a very old level I made and touched up to put into this one. Probably should have done more to make those beams make sense.

I wish I'd remembered the P balloon forces you off Yoshi. Had I remembered that back before submissions were due, I probably would have had a P balloon puzzle to go up (with a reset pipe of course) instead of a second "climb the vine after coming out of water" area.

That safe spot you said I should shorten... did you kill the dry bones or did it not show up there? He's supposed to make it a little less safe.

Those platforms that you asked about WERE in the original game. Bowser's castle, room #3. Its the stuff that's on the ground areas around those tapestries. I think it looks really good, and actually used it in my vanilla level last year as well. It works best with a black background, otherwise it looks a bit cut off when you have pits with it.

That 3-up moon was not the sort of thing anyone would find on their own easily. The way its SUPPOSED to be found is to go to the door, walk back a bit, then spin jump to ride the bubble across to the right. Oddly, none of my testers commented on the moon itself but two of them asked about why the pit extended so far. Still, I kept it to be the level's "super secret."

---

I'm glad I toned down my original plan for exits. Originally it was going to be...
One path for when you start, small, that leads to a Super Mushroom at the end.
One path for Super Mario, blocked off from small Mario by turn blocks. This leads to the first switch, which in turn leads to the next 3.
After the 4th switch, a path would open up that leads to a fire flower.
Another path has a LONG string of enemies that are too low to jump on but can be fireballed, to the point where its literally impossible to survive the are without a fire flower. This area leads to a RED yoshi
Red yoshi allows player to fly with a blue shell, but only for a limited amount. This leads to a path that forces you to jump off yoshi, and at the end is a green one.
Green one can spit out the shell and use it again to get farther than red, leading to another area. This leads to a yellow one.
Yellow one's stomp pops a goomba into a question block that you otherwise couldn't hit, creating a vine that allows access to another path, where you find a blue yoshi.
Blue yoshi lets you fly with a green shell in an area, granting access to a cape.
Cape lets you fly in an area with no shells, finally leading to the end.
... yeah. Guess its a good thing I chose to make a seven exit level instead of a 12 exit one.


Thanks again Ultimaximus for taking the time to give feedback on my level. I'm glad you liked it, and hope that I can fix the issues that it had when I tear it apart for levels in a future hack. Good luck to everyone in the contest, and I'm sure we're all eagerly awaiting the results.
I have a very keen sense of observation. To make the bubbles transparent, click the Mario head and change the level setting to 0C. I killed the dry bones, but shortening the safe spot would have made it not as easy.

I finished anonimato's Bowser's Nightmare Factory 2. Here's the Word Doc.

Now for The riddle's Black Hole.
Then GVirusG's Caramel Cave.
Then pipefreak's Mountain Grounds.
Then I8Strudel's 3 Trials.
Then Dylan Yoshi's A Castle.
Then Darkrai's Triple Terror.
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World Community Grid: Thread | Team
 
the fog effect its maked with bad colored castle pillars.
the outside building gfx its maked with tiles of the arch ledge, normal and diagonal pipe tiles.
the waterfall its maked with some bg gfx.
the golden things are spikes, i really dont(and the judges less) want flotating munchers.

well i think its better than the first one but oh well.

at least isnt a bad level.

thank you for review my level ultimaximus
I do pixels sometimes
Ah, I see.

I finished The riddle's Black Hole. Here's the Word Doc.

Now for GVirusG's Caramel Cave. As a beta tester/hack reviewer, I feel that I MUST go everywhere in your hack to give a full proper review. O_0
Then pipefreak's Mountain Grounds.
Then I8Strudel's 3 Trials.
Then Dylan Yoshi's A Castle.
Then Darkrai's Triple Terror.

World Community Grid: Thread | Team
 
Dang, Ultimaximus, you're burning through those hacks! You should have been a judge!

Still, I was hoping more people than me would make updates of their levels after the contest and submit them in the Hacks section (well, at least the people with longer levels). Maybe I can expect them to pop up in larger projects...
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Just so you know Ultimax, some exits are just there, they are not worth finding, only if you feel strong enough to find everything.

But seriously, some of them were really pointless XP

some rooms are alos completely boring and utter crap, so I really should think about remaking this level :/

yeah, just as a side note XP
so yeah, hoho





www.youtube.com/gvirusg
www.dailymotion.com/G-Virusg
Why thank you I8Strudel.


Too late, I already did via Lunar Magic.

I finished GVirusG's Caramel Cave. Here's the Word Doc.

Now for pipefreak's Mountain Grounds.
Then I8Strudel's 3 Trials.
Then Dylan Yoshi's A Castle.
Then Darkrai's Triple Terror.

World Community Grid: Thread | Team
 
Well, Ultimaximus, You´re right.

A big pile of poo.

Most things were barely tested and made with struggle and hurry.
I just got incredibly confused because all I wanted was to have the lebel with the most extis XP

Bad idea, cause if I had gone with normal 2 exits, I would´ve had a much better level.


BUT, the forth screen shot, that one pipe is useless and wasn´t meant to work. It is just there for a plant thing.

After you review, I think I should´ve put switch blocks over the entrances of the palaces.

Also, your fault if you go up into the switch palace after beating the level :P

And also, a secre isn´t a secret if you can´t read the creators mind.
I just felt that it must be atleast a bit insane and with minimal hints.

Remember, My things will always be insane, but this thing here was made in a hurry, so I try to fix it up for you guys, with only two exits then :)

THANK YOU ULTIMAXIMUS FOR THE REVIEW
so yeah, hoho





www.youtube.com/gvirusg
www.dailymotion.com/G-Virusg
Hmm, if I have time, I'll review yours.

VLDCDiscussion

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