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022: Scorching Sepulcher - ShodanWii/SyStemkraSh

Complete

Claimed by: ShodanWii/SyStemKrash

World: 5
Exits: 1
Theme: Desert Ghost House
Music Options: 1, 2, or compose your own.

Briefing: A ghost house in the desert. An idea to consider might be a ruined graveyard, with zombified Pokeys. It's pretty open ended though.
This post will now serve as a guide for the most recent patch.

-------------------------------------
----|Version 1.1 (10/7/11)|-----
-------------------------------------

Download: http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/3212/ShodanWii_SyStemkraSh_v11.ips

Known Problems:
- If a second boo touches you while you are frozen, the effect lasts longer. (Don't know if I should change this or not).

New in this Version (1.1):
- A completed level. We're only looking for bugs now people! =)
- All previous errors that were pointed out are fixed.
- Added eeries to the daytime in the second 1/2, so the first 1/2 makes sense. =P (KarateKid5)

Please test! Thanks a lot!

-------------------------------------
----|Version 0.8 (9/2/11)|------
-------------------------------------

http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/3212/ShodanWii_022_v08.ips

New in this Version:
-Extended first room (about 10 screens).
-Still no second room.
-Intro to level.
-Fixed various things.

Known problems:
-Pipes are oddly colored.
-Problem with some sprites not showing...mainly the venus plants.
-Going to add stretches sprite at some point.
-Need more sprites (variation).

-------------------------------------
----|Version 0.7 (8/6/11)|------
-------------------------------------
Download: http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/3212/ShodanWii_022_v07.ips

New in this version (v0.7):
-New BG made by Lynnes.
-Holdboo reduced time to 3 seconds.
-Updated second room.

Known Problems:
-*I had sent S.N.N. the wrong updated meter and ExGFX (made by Lynnes) for it. It will be updated in the next version. As a result, in this version, the timer is much faster. I tried to edit the level to accomadate, and if the faster timer is better, I'll probably keep it. (You might have a little issue at the end of the second part with time).
-Not the greatest number of sprites.

-------------------------------------
----|Version 0.6 (8/4/11)|------
-------------------------------------
Download: http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/3212/ShodanWii_022_v06.ips

In this version (v0.6):
-Pirhanna Plant has been fixed, as well as pipes.
-Longer first room. Made the gimmick more adaptable.
-Changed the maze a little in the second room. Now a maze and harder.
-Removed layer 2 in the second room in order for bg. Changed level to adapt.
-Added more decoration to the first room.

Known problems:
-Death music still does not play correctly if you die from the thermometer. (Custom music does not fix it).
-Music only in first level because of testing. (SNN, any suggestions. I don't know if the music totally fits.)
-If you get paused by a HoldBoo while in the shade, the meter still goes up.


-------------------------------------
----|Version 0.5 (8/3/11)|------
-------------------------------------
Download: http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/3212/ShodanWii_022_v05.ips

In this version (v0.5):
-Totally redone second room. Now a maze/layer 2 level with additional bricks that don't act like bricks (play the level).
-Correct graphics. Fixed it up in YY-CHR.
-New sprite! This is the HoldBoo (coded by MarioEdit). None of the boos will hurt you in this level, however, they are worse. They will hold you for around 5 seconds, release you (at which point you have invincibility for two seconds). It can REALLY mess you up in timing, so stay alert. If you are paused, regular enemies can still kill you (like eeries).
-Two SMWC coins to collect.

Known problems:
-Pirhanna plants won't go behind pipes.
-Pipes have weird palettes. (How to fix?)
-When you die from time up on the thermometer, normal death music plays (not desert one).
-Not a lot of decoration...going to add later.
-If you get paused by a HoldBoo while in the shade, the meter still goes up.
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/shodanwii
Hmm, I like it, it sounds very intersting. Do you need any help with the coding or anything like that, though? Because I could happily transform the air meter in the sprites section into a thermometer that rises when you are in the heat and decreases in the shade.
I'm taking Lynnes suggestion, and he's coding it for me right now. I will have pics to post up soon.
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/shodanwii
I'm going to admit that I have reservations regarding this gimmick, as I've yet to play a level that I've actually enjoyed which uses a short-time gimmick. However, Lynnes' interpretation of it (using a thermometer) as well as the way you're incorporating the gimmick (sun/shade), it at least sounds like some serious thought has gone into how to implement it without it feeling tacked on, so I'm intrigued to see how it all comes together in the end.
Alrighty, here is a preview of the level.

This is still in rough stages, (as not many enemies are placed). Until SNN puts in my sprites and blocks (which I just sent), I'll edit in an original rom for now.

Couple of things:
1) The air meter (temperature meter) messes up with the boo circles. The reason I like the circles there are because they add to the waiting (especially if you don't want to lose a powerup), and it's an SMWC coin. Anyway to fix that, or does anyone know if that would work in the SMWCP2 rom?

2) I plan on using all of the ghost enemies, also including an anti-boo. If anyone can think of other good sprites to use, please tell me. I'd like to incorporate it.

3) You can't see in the video (bc I made it a secret) but there is a pathway to the next SMWC coin, although that room isn't made yet.

4) I can't use coins in the level because all of the blank spaces are covered with a custom block that looks like nothing. If there are any solutions, feel free to post.

5) For some reason in the SMWCP2 rom, when I try to use the venus pirhanna plant, it doesn't go behind the pipe? Any solutions to that?

6) I'm still messing with the timing for the meter, so that is not final either. But I'm sticking with this while I'm designing.

That's about it in a nutshell. Remember, this is in beta/rough draft.

Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgCWYvQg0rY

Let me know what you think! Thanks guys.

@Milk: I hope this is enough for a concept, I really want to prove you wrong. =P If you have any ideas to improve or make cool puzzles, also let me know.

P.S. Thanks to Lynnes for coding the sprites and blocks.

P.S.S. Lynnes has given permission for editing of the ExGFX for the air meter. (If anyone wants to do it, awesome! If anything, I need to be able to see it a little better.)
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/shodanwii
It's quite interesting looking at it in action. I imagine a very red background signifying the heat would work well (not to mention that we may want to get some wavy HDMA in here). I don't really have too much else to say right now - I'm mostly interested in seeing what kind of creative layouts you can come up with for it.

I'll get those blocks and such inserted in the base ROM I'll be putting up tomorrow.
Originally posted by S.N.N.
It's quite interesting looking at it in action. I imagine a very red background signifying the heat would work well (not to mention that we may want to get some wavy HDMA in here). I don't really have too much else to say right now - I'm mostly interested in seeing what kind of creative layouts you can come up with for it.

I'll get those blocks and such inserted in the base ROM I'll be putting up tomorrow.


Yea, that's what me and Immortal thought too. I'm not going to worry about the background until later though. =)

I know the layer 2 vertical is going to be fun, and interesting to make. I'm still thinking of how I want to do the maze, however.

And thanks, I'll port over everything then.

EDIT: Just watched the video again to make sure it worked correctly, and realized the blocks near the top on the way to the mushroom don't work correctly. Consider that fixed.
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/shodanwii
Originally posted by ShodanWii
@Milk: I hope this is enough for a concept, I really want to prove you wrong. =P

After watching the video, I've got to say that your interpretation of the short-time gimmick seems far more flexible and playable than typical short-time gimmicks. I think using the thermometer over a timer is a huge help. As a player, seeing a timer with ~20 seconds, there's this sense of frustration and anxiety that sort of takes hold and you begin to make stupid mistakes - at least I do. But with your setup in which a thermometer sort of waxes and wanes as you sprint from one "shaded" area to the next, it doesn't seem as anxiety inducing - yet, it doesn't kill the tension either. Of course, I'll have to wait and try it out for myself before I can legitimately pass judgment, but so far, I can see this working.
Originally posted by Milk
Originally posted by ShodanWii
@Milk: I hope this is enough for a concept, I really want to prove you wrong. =P

After watching the video, I've got to say that your interpretation of the short-time gimmick seems far more flexible and playable than typical short-time gimmicks. I think using the thermometer over a timer is a huge help. As a player, seeing a timer with ~20 seconds, there's this sense of frustration and anxiety that sort of takes hold and you begin to make stupid mistakes - at least I do. But with your setup in which a thermometer sort of waxes and wanes as you sprint from one "shaded" area to the next, it doesn't seem as anxiety inducing - yet, it doesn't kill the tension either. Of course, I'll have to wait and try it out for myself before I can legitimately pass judgment, but so far, I can see this working.

Cool! I still want to prove you wrong...let's hope I can keep that opinion! =)

I wanted to make an update. Below are pictures of the first two rooms, including two smwc coins. The second one is easily accessible via the P-Switch. I've timed it several times. the SMWC coins in this level have to deal with the gimmick and general strategy. (Strategy meaning -applying thinking skills.- After all, we are in a ghost 'house'.)

Please keep in mind that until SNN updates the base rom with my stuff, sprites will appear glitched and there are no updated graphics. Everything will be ported.

Lynnes also changed the thermometer a bit, so I can actually place coins and other stuff in the level. Currently, the timer (thermomether) is essentially around ~12 seconds. It is enough to get the SMWC coin.

Level 22:
http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/3212/Level022.png

Level 14C:
http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/3212/Level14C.bmp

I'd also like to point out that sprite placement for 14C is not done, and the room hasn't been tested - it's more of a concept. If you think the poles are too obvious of a hint, let me know, I'm still figuring out how to give clues. That invisible door will lead to the third SMWC coin. (Once again - apply the ghost house type level theories).

EDIT: Where do you guys post your pictures? Photobucket doesn't work that well... =/
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/shodanwii
Originally posted by ShodanWii
Where do you guys post your pictures? Photobucket doesn't work that well...

Just use your file bin and link to them that way. You can delete them when they're no longer needed.
Youtube (Main) | Youtube (Alt) | Bandcamp | DeviantART
Originally posted by AxemJinx
Originally posted by ShodanWii
Where do you guys post your pictures? Photobucket doesn't work that well...

Just use your file bin and link to them that way. You can delete them when they're no longer needed.

Ah, thanks. BTW, what do you think of the gimmick?

SNN updated the base rom, so I can now post an IPS.
http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/3212/ShodanWii_022.ips

The only levels edited are 22 and 14C. (see below)

Couple of things:
1) The main problem is that the thermometer graphics and eerie graphics are using the same SP3 file, so I need someone to combine the two and make it work. (Download the graphics here, because SNN didn't put them in the base accidentally. http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/3212/For%2BBase%2BRom.zip Just rename the ExGFX to 171). I decided to go for the glitched eeries, because you know what they do, and I think it is more important in this case to test out the thermometer.

2) Please play through it multiple times, like I did. If you die in the maze for example, try and solve it without looking in Lunar Magic. There should be enough clues.

3) Two SMWC coins can be found in this run...one is obvious and one is not. Please try to find the one that's not without looking in LM also.

4) The pipes graphics are reallly weird. Can someone tell me how to fix them?
4b) There are supposed to be venus pirhanna plants in the pipes (not inserted at the moment) but during testing, they appear in front of the pipe. Should I just remap the tiles onto my page 4 and set layer priority?

5) I might add a couple of screens to the 1st room, to further get the player used to the gimmick, but I'll do that later. Going to happen.

6) As it stands, as soon as you reach the door, that's the midpoint. I will put the midpoint right after the door in the next room (which will be layer 2-vertical).

7) If you can find any go-throughable bricks, please screencap it. I had to redo the entire room with solid blocks because something wasn't right on the Map16 (my error). I think there are some in the first room as well.

8) And finally, can anyone create some wavy HDMA/HOT background (color wise) like SNN suggested? That would be awesome!)

9) I lied...this is the last one. SNN - can you maybe add some ghost-like ereieness to one of the desert soundtracks? It would sound A LOT better than the current ones in this stage. (BTW, forgot to set custom music, but that's ok.)

Please have fun! Thanks!

Here's part of Level 14D:
http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/3212/Level14D.png

When I play the level, even though there is no background, part of the background is glitched. How would I fix that? After that, I'm going to do the layer 2 scrolling I talked about. Both the platforms and the shading will be moving. (Neat huh?) Still coming up with designs for it. To get the moon, you must find an invisible door in the maze.

Also, I'm having a little trouble getting all the sprites to show up correctly: namely the boo circle. I would like to do an eerie generator, but I don't know if it would be too much. I don't know exactly what sprites to put in.

Let me know of issues in the .ips. I have fixed the vertical section at the end of the maze (please don't break it with a yoshi/sprite. Solve the puzzle normally to get a feel for the level). At a point, I'm going to extend the first room longer to get the player more used to the gimmick as well as some more horizontal stuff with the gimmick.

[8/3 Edit] AxemJinx tested my level (level testing thread) and made a couple of Points saying he thought it was a decent gimmick but the execution was wrong. As a result, since I agree a little bit, is to totally redesign the second room. There will be still a bit of a maze in there, but there will be mostly platforming. To solve the boo circle, I'm having a sprite coded by MarioEdit, which he said should be finished by later today, that will solve all the problems, make the level a bit more diffficult, and will allow me to change some of the architecture in the level. I will try to post an updated ips tonight, but there are no guarantees. Please continue testing, however.
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/shodanwii
OK...BIG UPDATE.

Download: http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/3212/ShodanWii_022_v05.ips

In this version (v0.5):
-Totally redone second room. Now a maze/layer 2 level with additional bricks that don't act like bricks (play the level).
-Correct graphics. Fixed it up in YY-CHR.
-New sprite! This is the HideBoo (coded by MarioEdit). None of the boos will hurt you in this level, however, they are worse. They will hold you for around 5 seconds, release you (at which point you have invincibility for two seconds). It can REALLY mess you up in timing, so stay alert. If you are paused, regular enemies can still kill you (like eeries).
-Two SMWC coins to collect.

Known problems:
-Pirhanna plants won't go behind pipes.
-Pipes have weird palettes. (How to fix?)
-When you die from time up on the thermometer, normal death music plays (not desert one).
-Not a lot of decoration...going to add later.
-If you get paused by a HideBoo while in the shade, the meter still goes up.

Have fun!
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/shodanwii
Ok, I just played through all three iterations of your level so far, though obviously the latest version is the only one that matters. Initial thoughts: the first room has been vastly improved upon from your earlier version, but your second room, while I can say certain aspects have improved, I feel that it's actually spiraled into a pretty tumultuous mess. The biggest culprit: layer priority. While layer priority is a wonderful tool when used right, it can damage a level as quick as lightning when abused or used incorrectly. While your initial takes on layer priority were not that bad, using it sparingly to hide a fake wall here or a fake wall there, you've now plastered a giant opaque blind spot over the entire first half of the second area. Not only am I having a hard time figuring out where sprites are, but half the time, I'm losing my sun/shade meter to layer priority as well, therefore having to rely on the final three second beep before I die.

While I'm not saying you need to ditch the layer priority gimmick, you need to find a way to make it playable. As it is now, it's not. It's cheap and completely unfair. Remove bricks, or see if you can draw, or have someone else draw, broken bricks. You need to open up windowed pockets so we can see where ghosts may lie in waiting and more than anything, remove any layer priority bricks that might even have a chance of covering up the meter - unless the meter can be set to an even higher priority? For reference, check out the evolution that Ragey's On/Off room has had to go through because of the very same priority issue.

And, while I'm on the subject of the priority blocks, and now maybe this is just me, but it feels like the priority block should have the same effect as the "shade" bricks. It seems weird that although I'm obscured from view, presumably inside some brick corridor, I'm still subject to the sun's rays. Maybe see what other people think about that. But yea, from a logical standpoint, it'd just make sense to do it that way. Besides, that'd likely help out some of the longer stretches where Mario's SPF100 just isn't doing the job anymore.

As far as the main gimmick, it's not bad, but I don't want to say it's used in the tidiest of fashion either. Yes, while I don't like short-time gimmicks, I will admit that this one really doesn't bother me as much. There wasn't that many times where I could feel the panic suddenly sinking its claws into me - outside of the priority debacle at least, so that's good. My only concern would be with the Hold Boos. I'm wondering if their stun timer should be slightly lessened because in most circumstances if you fall victim to them at least twice, you're dead in the water. I guess that can be countered by: well you shouldn't be running into enemies to begin with, but the way you have them placed and the fact that most of your corridors are of the narrower variety, they can be a nuisance to avoid at times, especially with the amount of item grabbing you need to keep track of.

And now for a few of the nitpicky details:

Level 022:
Make sure you add a ceiling generator, sprite D0 I believe. You can get on top of the level near the P-Switch.

I actually like how you have to get that SMWC coin. I always wondered why your level ended so abruptly, as if it was unfinished. Of course, I never noticed until I looked in LM for scrutineering.

Level 14C
02: You can stand on the bottom edge of the level here. Rememeber, you can't see the bottom row of LM in game. Move that shade area up a tile.

04/06: The run to the P-Switch and back can be a little tough to pull off thanks to that Hold Boo that hovers around the switch itself. The job can't be done if he grabs you, and while it's relatively easy to avoid him on the way there, he almost certainly snaps out a pseudopod when you try and hop back down the stairs. The optimal solution may be to add additional threat in the corridor and then add some "shade" brick near the switch. Also, you should probably cut down on the amount of coins there.

06: I can actually stand on dead air if I fall down that pit at the right angle. Looking in LM, I see there's some blocks that act like 130 that Mario can manage to get on. The same can be said for your other layer priority pits on screens 08 and 0A.

09/0A: That jump's slightly discriminatory against big Mario.

0A: Boo Blocks? Hmm, they seem to serve no particular purpose here and you'll pretty much always avoid them about...er, 100% of the time.

0B-0E: Do all those munchers need to line the bottom row? Shouldn't the pit suffice? With the muchers there, the impatient types could just tank it and make a run for the end instead of carefully working their way across the upper platforms. Without the munchers, that's not even an option. Plus, it just looks ugly.


All in all, based on the first area, I can definitely see potential in this level, but the second area is a total wreck. It really is night and day between the two halves. I think you have a good fundamental grasp of how to use the main gimmick in the first half, but then in the second half, it begins to become this nuisance that short-time gimmicks usually are. But again, I think a lot of that can be directly attributed to the layer priority madness.

Something else I noticed is the lack of variety when it comes to sprite usage. I don't know if you have more planned for the back half of the level or what, but I really think you could benefit from some more variety. I know you had boo rings at one point, but I'm going to agree with (Axem I think it was?) that the way you were utilizing them just wasn't working. Plus, they're the type of sprite that can give this type of gimmick a bad name in a hurry. If they were more avoidable, maybe, but I'd leave them be. What about using some SMB3 style Stretches? (Wait, is that sprite even available, I can't remember.) Or maybe even some of the Moving Spikes from the castle sprite set.
I'm posting Level 14C's updated version as a picture, until SNN updates the Base. He's updating the graphics for the thermometer, 3 second hide-boo's, new bg, and updated palettes.

@Milk: Tell me based on this picture what I should fix. The dark bricks restore time (as you can see there are no 'walls'. They still have layer 2 priority. I'm glad you like the gimmick, and I hope I changed the level/can change for the better.

http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/3212/Screen%2Bshot%2B2011-08-05%2Bat%2B11.02.46%2BPM.png

And oh, fixed all of your nitpicks.

I'm not sure on what sprites to use, I'm going to mess with things. (I don't know if I should add regular boos. It would confuse the player.) Eeries work well though.

(Please respond overnight. =P I anxiously await your response in the morning.)
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/shodanwii
Er, I hope you're not thinking that only my opinion matters. Personally, I think the likes of SNN and MrDeePay are far better judges of what this hack is looking for, not to mention various other testers with highly respected opinions. Just saying.

Anyways, based on the screenshot - which honestly, it's very hard for me to judge based on a screenshot - it does look to be an improvement. Unfortunately, because it's a screenshot, there are several areas where I'm not completely sure how you're supposed to reach them, most notably the upper left on screens 00/01. I have a theory, but I'm not 100% certain. Also that area with the feather - is that even obtainable?

I still think it would be cool if you could get some "broken" bricks and you could probably create some larger pockets of priority bricks without it being a total hindrance to the player. In your last version, I never had an issue with where I was going, and that's certainly not an issue here, based on what I see; it was more of an issue of losing track of enemies or worse. I recall an eerie being initially positioned within a prioritized wall. Here, without knowing what any of those custom sprites are, there are a couple I'm sort of cringing over based on their proximity to some of those walls. But, I really can't pass judgement until I try it out.

I am rather distressed over the amount of item babysitting going on - four switches? And I'm not even sure what the springboard is for, although my guess is that it's used to get into that aforementioned area on screens 00/01. Don't forget, SMWCP left a bad taste in everyone's mouth regarding item babysitting. And although I'll admit, we haven't seen it heavily used yet, so one level can probably get away with it; I still think you're going overboard. Plus, given that all of this takes place before the midpoint, and with the previous area, I'm beginning to have premonitions that this level may drag on longer than necessary, so be careful about that. I know you're trying to hide that second SMWC coin within a labyrinth, but dealing with that many p-switches (assuming you need the springboard) just to get it...I'm getting vibes of Oh man, it's Hell!

Something else I just thought of that I didn't catch while testing. With all of the darker bricks having an acts like setting of tile 25, I realized that there are some where you could harm yourself by hitting some munchers from the underside. While it's nothing game breaking by any means, it is a little odd. What if they were changed into spike balls or something similar? Just a suggestion.

And yes, I agree that eeries work. I still think it'd be interesting to see some SMB3 stretches (perhaps reskinned and dropped into the sand?) or maybe even the kanji ghoul reskinned with a clay pot. Not sure if anyone ever officially coded that sprite - I think TheGamer drew graphics for it at some point. I know you said that you really wanted to use as many "ghost" sprites as possible - just trying to think of what's out there.
-------------------------------------
----|Version 0.7 (8/6/11)|------
-------------------------------------
Download: http://bin.smwcentral.net/u/3212/ShodanWii_022_v07.ips

New in this version (v0.7):
-New BG made by Lynnes.
-Holdboo reduced time to 3 seconds.
-Updated second room.

Known Problems:
-*I had sent S.N.N. the wrong updated meter and ExGFX (made by Lynnes) for it. It will be updated in the next version. As a result, in this version, the timer is much faster. I tried to edit the level to accomadate, and if the faster timer is better, I'll probably keep it. (You might have a little issue at the end of the second part with time).
-Not the greatest number of sprites.

@Milk:
1) I think you are a great tester, and since you are the basically the only really specific tester of the level, you look really good in my eyes. I would like other people like them to test as well.
2) Yes. Some of the bricks Mario can walk through even though they are not darker. It is a ghost house, so using subtle clues (same architecture on both sides of the pyramid), can cause secrets in the level.
3) I will see if I can get someone to draw these bricks. All custom sprites are Hideboos.
4) You will see in the level, but the blue P-switch on top of the pyramid is mainly used to get rid of the used blocks at the bottom of screen 01. If you use the P-switch in the pyramid, a secret is revealed. It leads to a grey switch (to get the spring board) and another blue, in case you want to get out of the maze. There is a blue one hidden in the top of screen 00, which is used in conjunction w/ the spring board to get the coin.
5) I'm not quite sure what you mean. I won't hide anything beneath the bricks.
6) I'm not familiar with those sprites, can you explain what they do (especially the SMb3 stretches)?
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/shodanwii
I'm going to be out of commission for the next few days, so bear with me on the updates. Regarding progress, as per SNN's suggestion, I'm scrapping the second room. If anyone has any suggestions (I have a gimmick in mind which is in testing), please feel free to let me know.
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/shodanwii
Alright, time for a status update.

So I've been working with the folks in #serioushax trying to code up the second trick I had in mind, and that went fluky. (Special thanks to imamelia, k3fka and MarioEdit)...so I thought up another trick, which K3fka successfully coded! (Yahoo, thanks again!). It's going to be some trickery with a vertical level and an on/off switch effect. I'll be working on it and posting some updates soon, as I had oral surgery on Monday. Bear with me, as I want to post an update by the middle of next week!

Thanks again.
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/shodanwii
Ok, I'm going to ignore all issues regarding the shortness of the thermometer since you said the wrong version was sent in. However, I found a slew of other issues. First a few pictures:


Not really an issue, but it is a little odd that the HideBoo managed to move away after "hugging" me.


Wait, so you're telling me that I'm considered to be in the shade even though I only have a tiny fraction of my head covered up yet...


...if I stand within a tile that's 75% brick I'm subject to the sun's burning rays!? Dammit!!

Moving on: I still really don't know how to feel about this level. It seems to suffer from wild sways - you're making good use of the gimmicks and resources here, and then stuff just collapses into a mess there. You're really starting to force some impossible maneuvers in cramped areas and I'm questioning the usage of HideBoos within some of these claustrophobic corridors.

My biggest concern with the HideBoo is that you can't spinjump him like you would a normal boo. If your level consisted of wide open spaces, this wouldn't be a concern. But since your passages are so tight, you're forced to spinjump a large amount of enemies, especially if you hope to do the level as Big Mario, which is a nightmare in a few places, like all of 06-0B in level 022 - whether or not you're trying to drag the p-switch along. But with narrow corridors, HideBoo is one of the most frustrating enemies I've seen yet. There's a couple spots where I don't have a clue how you're supposed to avoid him, such as on screen 04 when you're trying to get the feather. After 10 or so tries, I just gave up on that venture. But that can also be attributed to the faster thermometer, so I don't know.

The upper route that runs backwards from 03/04 back to 00 in level 022 seems rather pointless. I think if you're going to have someone backtrack and repeat the first area with no real purpose, you should put a better prize up there instead of just a mushroom/flower. Personally, if you're dead set on having an upper route, I'd look into making it an alternate path to the feather.

As far as the second area, well you said you've scrapped it so guess there's nothing to say about that. Of course, the pics of the second area still apply to the first, so that's why they're there.

Oh, one other thing, and this actually bothered me on my previous tests. I find it strange that the thermometer doesn't appear as soon as you enter the level. Because of this, I'm wondering if you're first message block can be a little more blatant about the fact that there's a timer up in the corner that you need to be aware of. First timers may not notice that a thermometer suddenly popped up when you first walk out into the sun. I don't know, that may just be me.

*Looks in LM* Huh? I didn't know you had that much of 14D completed. Too bad I can't get past the first screen right now thanks to the shorter timer, but looking at it in LM, it looks like more tiresome item babysitting. Hrm....


And to answer you're questions:

Originally posted by ShodanWii
5) I'm not quite sure what you mean. I won't hide anything beneath the bricks.

I guess the point is moot now, but I didn't readily pick up on this as an issue this time around.

Originally posted by ShodanWii
6) I'm not familiar with those sprites, can you explain what they do (especially the SMb3 stretches)?

This is a Kanji Ghoul. He helps you get places, but I don't think anyone ever coded him.

And this is a stretch:

He travels back and forth along his ectoplasmic rectangle. I believe he can be found in the sprites section.

Complete