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About the Bonus World

What dictates we have to have the bonus world be a really hard world? Why can't it just be a world for level ideas that won't fit elsewhere? I'm pretty sure people want to make a bunch of crazy ideas but are put off by the difficulty requirement we're imposing for the world.

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I suppose it's because it's considered the "real" endgame, considering what's being proposed with the game's story and how the world opens up after the final boss is defeated.

Good Point FP,
I think there should be some not so hard levels in the bonus world, It would definatly make it more abstract imo.
Well, even in commercial games the difficulty curve doesn't constantly raise. Often it alternates. Even in the later worlds there are some easier and some harder levels, so I don't see the problem with putting a few easy levels in the bonus world.
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What if the bonus world had some sort of exits requirement to it? Like, have it open from the start and as you progress through it, levels would get harder. That way we can have bonus levels of all difficulties?
In oficial games, the bonus world tends to be harder than normal worlds, that's why you don't need to clear it in order to beat the game. Bonus worlds should allways contain the hardest levels in the game imo.

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I think the proposed plan is that the extra world won't open up until the main game has been beaten and Mario has all of the SMWC Coins up to that point (implying that none of the Dream/Abstract levels would have any coins). I had proposed a method that would take an increasing amount route, but eh.


The problem I see with Extra World levels is that designers take this as an indication to go all out with the difficulty and while that's technically correct, the usual collab problems come along to visit. Then again, some of SMWCP's World B levels weren't really "hard" either.

Another thing I worry is that 'abstract' will be interpeted as 'spamm as many stuid ideas as you can'.
Which is why not every shitty level will be accepted into the hack this time around.
How about both. You see, there's only so many difficult gimmicks you can incorporate into a set theme. What bonus worlds tend to do is give designers freedom to use any theme and any gimmick imaginable. Since the story is still pending (though we seem to be leaning towards the bonus world being the real endgame), we haven't determined whether it'll be a dream world, distortion world, etc. However all those involve the above sense of freedom.
I've realized this was outdated.
I'd still like to see a tough bonus world, but it doesn't need to be total overkill. SMWCP's bonus world difficulty wasn't even that brutal, minus Sizzling Spires, and the people who made it there actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Most of the levels were quite fair for the end-game levels, and I'm sure that could be pulled off here just fine as well.

just my thoughts though~
I can't agree entirely, the very first level of the bonus world in ASMWCP seemed much harder than Sizzling Spikes.
The level with the falling castle or whatever, I forget the name, was awful. Seriously, that falling blocks sprite was cheap and awful in Cave Story. Why bring it over to a game where you have even LESS free movement?
How strange; in my savestateless run of that level, I found the first part of the level (especially the vertical segment with all the Thwomps) much harder than the second half with the falling blocks. Sure, it may be hard to get through it without getting hurt, but that's why I placed a whole bunch of powerup blocks everywhere.

Now the part with the flashing disco shell in the first room, on the other hand... What the hell was I thinking when I created that?

On another note, the Map16 and graphics for that level are all kinds of screwed up. Most of the Thwomps and Thwimps use the original SMW graphics, and the entire ceiling in the second half was supposed to be made out of sprite-only blocks. Not to mention that you can stand on top of one of the flame tiles in the "atmospheric reentry" room.
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Wait .. the falling block portion was supposed to be difficult? Just run left. As long as you don't stop at all, the blocks can't even keep up or get ahead of you. Couple that with a midpoint literally right before that room, and yeah.

The only hard part of Orbital Fortress was the shell hopping part in the first area.
I'd probably agree with FirePhoenix's first and second posts here. It doesn't have to be difficult just because it's the bonus world, and having it open up gradually depending on how many exits you have completed is a good idea. If we do make them difficult, though, they still need to be fun. Remember the Extra stages in Yoshi's Island? Is it just me, or were those six of the absolute most annoying, cheap, jerkish, and unfun stages in the game? A few of the Lost World stages in Donkey Kong Country 2 and 3 had the same problem. Bonus stages should be a reward for unlocking them, and if they're no fun to play through, they are no reward at all.

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My very late two cents:

Why must the bonus world be the "true final ending" anyways?
Couldn't it just be some fun bonus world and that's it?
Originally posted by Sind
My very late two cents:

Why must the bonus world be the "true final ending" anyways?
Couldn't it just be some fun bonus world and that's it?

Or maybe we could make the "true final ending" the first level of the bonus world and the rest be just for fun. Or even better, the "true final boss" be right after the regular one and the "true ending" play after that, introducing the special world, the distorted world created before the final battle (and where you fight the final battle).
I've realized this was outdated.
Or why not just have no "true final boss" at all? =/

I would be convinced however if the bonus world boss had absolutely nothing to do with the story.
Then we can avoid having some crappy cheesy plot ^-^
Again, jumping back to SMWCP's bonus world. Megadmin had literally nothing to do with anything. It was just there for bonus purposes. This hack could work the same way - as in, after you defeat Norveg in the factory world, the credits would be enabled, and you could either choose to go to them or go to the bonus world.