Happy Holidays, SMW Central, and welcome to one of our most exciting contests ever - the Winter Themed Level Design Challenge. In this contest, you will be tasked to design a level in the spirit of the holidays - that is, snowy! Of course, this theme is quite broad, and you can pretty much do whatever you'd like, just as long as it pertains to Winter.
Rules:
Judging Rubric:
THEME/15: How winter/holiday-themed is the level? Does it only have a few pixels of snow, or does it effectively integrate holiday themes into the design?
OVERALL DESIGN/15: Is the level nicely designed overall? Is it genuinely fun to play and gimmicky, or downright bland and boring?
AESTHETICS/15: Do the graphics and music help or hurt the level overall? Are vanilla graphics or ExGFX used appropriately, and does any custom music fit the setting?
TECHNICALITIES/15: How polished is the level? Is it chalked full of bugs, or did you ensure that it plays like a charm?
/60
As you can see, the points scale is quite high. It is expected that you put your full effort into this level and ensure it impresses the judges. From my personal experience of judging, however, length DOES NOT ALWAYS ensure that your level will be good. If you are planning to make a long level, ensure it can hold the player's interest long enough. Some of the best levels out there are actually kind of short! Just a tip, of course - do what you need to do to win!
Remember that this isn't just a contest to make the "most" holiday themed level. Rather, a strong level will use the holiday theme along with good design, testing, and aesthetics to create a fun and unique experience.
Prizes:
Total prize pool: ~€100
* To receive this prize, you will need to supply your full name and address, which will be forwarded to the merchant as shipping information. This information will not be used for anything else. If you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to contact Kieran either through PM or e-mail. (NOTE: If you are less than 18 years old, please make sure you have your parents' consent.)
Addendum Note: The top five winners are eligible for ONE of the prizes listed above. The top winner receives the first pick, and subsequent winners may choose from the remaining prizes. If you win the contest but do not want any of the prizes, you are also welcome to offer the prize you pick up to another user of your choice as an act of kindness.
Yes, you read that correctly. This year, we've decided to raise the stakes. We include these prizes not only to encourage users to participate, but to thank all of you for your continued support over the past five years and into the future. We wish you all the best of luck: this competition will naturally be competitive, but please be respectful to other users.
Please use this thread for submissions and nothing else. If you want to discuss the contest, use the other stickied thread. The next person who breaks this rule is disqualified from the contest. I've had to delete about 5 posts from here so far. I can't make this font much bigger.
Happy holidays!
SUBMISSIONS:
(Named after the IPS file if no name provided)
Rules:
- Similar to the Chocolate Level Design Contest, you can use any resources in the level. ExGFX, music, patches and sprites, you name it.
- Remember though that this is a single level. You cannot require the player to go through more than one level tile on the overworld.
- You must post the level in the entry thread by January 15th, 2011 at 11:59 EST (UTC -05:00). Please make sure a proper IPS file is included for your entry - if it doesn't work, it'll be disqualified.
- You may edit your post and update your level any time before the deadline, but once it's released, what's there is final.
- Unlike the previous contest, you cannot team up on levels. While you may have others test them, the ultimate product must be your own.
Judging Rubric:
THEME/15: How winter/holiday-themed is the level? Does it only have a few pixels of snow, or does it effectively integrate holiday themes into the design?
OVERALL DESIGN/15: Is the level nicely designed overall? Is it genuinely fun to play and gimmicky, or downright bland and boring?
AESTHETICS/15: Do the graphics and music help or hurt the level overall? Are vanilla graphics or ExGFX used appropriately, and does any custom music fit the setting?
TECHNICALITIES/15: How polished is the level? Is it chalked full of bugs, or did you ensure that it plays like a charm?
/60
As you can see, the points scale is quite high. It is expected that you put your full effort into this level and ensure it impresses the judges. From my personal experience of judging, however, length DOES NOT ALWAYS ensure that your level will be good. If you are planning to make a long level, ensure it can hold the player's interest long enough. Some of the best levels out there are actually kind of short! Just a tip, of course - do what you need to do to win!
Remember that this isn't just a contest to make the "most" holiday themed level. Rather, a strong level will use the holiday theme along with good design, testing, and aesthetics to create a fun and unique experience.
Prizes:
- One Super Nintendo Entertainment System + Super Mario World cartridge (matching your region) *
- Team Fortress 2 or Left 4 Dead 2 (winner's choice, on Steam)
- Super Meat Boy (on Steam)
- Minecraft account
- Name color and title
Total prize pool: ~€100
* To receive this prize, you will need to supply your full name and address, which will be forwarded to the merchant as shipping information. This information will not be used for anything else. If you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to contact Kieran either through PM or e-mail. (NOTE: If you are less than 18 years old, please make sure you have your parents' consent.)
Addendum Note: The top five winners are eligible for ONE of the prizes listed above. The top winner receives the first pick, and subsequent winners may choose from the remaining prizes. If you win the contest but do not want any of the prizes, you are also welcome to offer the prize you pick up to another user of your choice as an act of kindness.
Yes, you read that correctly. This year, we've decided to raise the stakes. We include these prizes not only to encourage users to participate, but to thank all of you for your continued support over the past five years and into the future. We wish you all the best of luck: this competition will naturally be competitive, but please be respectful to other users.
Please use this thread for submissions and nothing else. If you want to discuss the contest, use the other stickied thread. The next person who breaks this rule is disqualified from the contest. I've had to delete about 5 posts from here so far. I can't make this font much bigger.
Happy holidays!
SUBMISSIONS:
(Named after the IPS file if no name provided)
- Good luck to those who graduate - OGS93
- Entry for contest - PJ Reed
- Mario and Yoshi's Christmas Dash - lucariokiddo
- Winter World - Clay_Buster
- The Mountain Climb - Courptendo
- pserafi's Winter Wonderland - pserafi
- Super Mario in Ice World - Luigi370
- Cold Cold Valley - BBkaizo
- Mario's Frozen Adventure - Blue_raven
- A Gift for Luigi - Tails_155
- A Snowy Stroll - OTAKU
- RAWRAWRAWRv3 - TRS
- Mario's Winter Trials - Schrikvis
- SnowyLands - .Henix.
- Ripperon-X's Winter Level Design Contest entry - Ripperon-X
- Merk's Winter Contest - BlueHoppip
- Super Mario, Lost on iced planet - Lexator
- Snowball Hill - super pokemon world
- Mario's Winter Nightmare - Hadron
- Santa Simulator - Lunar Rico
- A Level - pacman227811
- SMWP - 2dareduck
- Winter Level Design - Link13
- BeerQuest! - Atma
- Frosty Mountain - Mr ESC450
- Winter Level 2010 Final - TomPhanto
- Santa Mario - yoshicookiezeus
- The Christmas Switch Palace - Shellface
- Winter Level - MarineYoshi
- Ice and Cocoa - Gabu
- Mario Saves Christmas - Kipernal
- Return To Ice World - Koyuki
- A Winter Adventure - HalfMaster1
- Generic Snow Level - Dotsarecool
- Holiday Contest 2010 - Raibys
- Navidad de Super Mario - Skalibur
- Light The Tree - Snifit
- The Snowman Invasion - WhiteYoshiEgg
- Brad's Mid-Night Snow Exploration - Brad172
- Nightwing - flareblade26
- Mario's New Year Tradition - keckcellent
- No Tree No Life - SL
- A Gift by TheGamer - TheGamer
- Monty - two_headed_yoshi
- Yuki-Onna - .Lester Vine.
- Lunardrakewinterentry - LunarDrake
- Mario Miraculously Saves Christmas - PowerStrike
- Sinterklaas - Kevinskie555
- Mario's Great Frost - Chachii
- Khastvrokg's Level Entry - Khastvrokg
- A Mad Christmas - HuFlungDu