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114: Playground Bound - GeminiSunfall

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Claimed by:
World: 6
Exits: 2
Theme: Carnival
Music Options: 1, 2, 3, or compose your own.

Briefing: A fun fair styled level. Consider various ideas that might work in a carnival - a fun house, adventuring through game stands, a big top, a roller coaster, etc. It is highly advised that you communicate with the other carnival designers to share ideas and to make sure we don't end up with duplicates.
I claim this level in the name of... uh, darkness? Ah, forget the theatrics. >.>

The name of the level? I'm still thinking of a good one.
The music I plan to use? (for the most part) 2

On to my level concept. I've been seeing some fun stuff going around the carnival world; balloons, boardwalks, and even roller coasters. But something seems to be missing, and it's what I tend to associate carnivals with the most--the games! My level is going to be based around having various carnival-styled "minigames" scattered throughout the stage. From typical shooting galleries, to Whack-a-Mole, and even Dunk-a-Koopa are some of the ideas I've come up with so far. Overall, the level might have the look and feel of a bonus area, but that doesn't mean it will be a walk in the park! I intend to do my best to incorporate a fair amount of challenge into this level while keeping true to the general idea of "fun".

The name of the level will probably be something along the lines of like Game Gamble Gallery. I haven't finalized it yet, but it's something like this I'm trying to aim for here. If anyone has better suggestions, feel free to throw them around.

Speaking of looks...



This is a screenshot I took back when I was still playing LaTale. Captain Bong's Land was one of my favorite areas in that game, and it's going to be an influence in my graphic designs for this level. I'm NOT attempting a graphical rip here; on top of being against the rules for this project, the original tileset from LaTale just isn't going to do it for me (most LaTale FG tilesets were quite shallow in terms of aesthetics). Like I said, I'm using it as an influence, and I've got plans to greatly expand upon it, along with changing some of the features in it. For example, some of you would argue that a steel-beam architecure isn't the most fitting for our carnival, and I'm certainly not using drums here. I might use wooden beams instead with a canvas covering similar to the floors you see. Again, I just posted this screenshot to give you an idea of what I'm working off of here.

I'll be sure to keep you folks informed of any progress I make towards my level whenever appropriate. And with this, my introductory post is complete.
I absolutely love this idea GeminiRage. Will you have to complete the games to move on or will they be completely optional?

As for name ideas...

Playtime Panic
Fun Fair Frenzy
Amusement Antics
Amusement Alleyway
Mario's Vanilla Journey

Progress: 22/72 levels complete
Most of the games will be optional and just for gaining coins, powerups, and other goodies, but a few of them must be played in order to progress at certain points because the "reward" might be a springboard or something else you need to go further. This level has a secret exit, and I plan to make the rewards to some of these games lead up to finding a key and a keyhole.

Jewker suggested the name "Consession Calamity", but seeing as how this level comes after 2dareduck's level (Carnival Caper), the repeated "C" aliteration felt iffy to me. The others, I'll think about them.
Originally posted by GeminiRage
"Consession Calamity"

Also, with Coaster Calamity and Candy Calamity, that might make far more calamities than one can handle.

Extras



I should have something witty to put here (even if it's just to update dated info), shouldn't I?

Advertising Space

Carnival Carnage, maybe?
Edit: Nah, there's already a Carnival Caper(s)

Maybe "Frightening Fun" would work...

What I've made for my tileset so far.



I liked the clown koopas used in 2dareduck's level, so I'm using them here as well.

I flip-flopped around on this a bit, and eventually decided I didn't want to use a lot of wood in this tileset, otherwise it would end up looking too similar to Carnival Capers. I also wanted to avoid having a duplicate of LunarDrake's Carnival FG (so no "natural" landscapes). I decided to go with using large patterned blocks like the kind used for the floor to comprise portions of my level. They will come in different palettes (namely the same ones as pipes), and I intend to mesh them together for improved effect. There is going to be much more to this set later on.

I'm also posting here because as we all know, communication is very important in this project. And I need to communicate the fact that I'm not going to be able to work on my level much for about a week. I'm still attending a summer class, and it won't be over until the end of next week. I need to get my last history critique done and study for the final test. So don't expect many updates out of me until then.
Thanks for letting me know about the class.

About the tileset: it's good to see a new kind of carnival set here. I know about three other designers were using LunarDrake's set, and as nice as it is, it's going to get old pretty quickly. I'm looking forward to seeing what else you can add to it (given your level ideas thus far, I'm imagining a few sideshow attractions).
Loving those graphics. How about adding little tents, like where carnies reel in suckers...i mean customers to play their games.
Also note that the exgfx file where the clown koopas are is a bit...glitched out side of my level. Recomend porting to new exgfx.
Originally posted by 2dareduck
How about adding little tents, like where carnies reel in suckers...i mean customers to play their games.


A friend of mine did suggest an idea where you would need to pay some coins in order to "play" the games. I'm not really knowledgeable on ASM, nor am I really certainly how I would want this to be handled, but it is something I will try to think about in regards to how it should be implemented into the level. I don't want to end up having tacky designs just to make some gimmick work (and odds are if it came to that, this level would be better off without it).

Having admission stands with seedy-looking carnies was certainly an idea that came to mind as part of my tileset. Another idea I had was snack carts. They would basically be another type of ledge, but some of the carts would actually be "runaway" and function much like Mega Moles in that they're rideable, but will hurt if you get rammed by one.
Well, I guess I might as well make it known now that my summer class is over, and I've gotten back to work on my level. In particular, I'm still working on my graphics, setting up my Map16 tiles, and once most of that is done, I'll start laying down the actual structure of the level.

Right now, the only potential issue I'm really looking at is how far I can go with my planned theme without resorting to excessive custom sprite/block requests. I've been coming up with stuff, but how well it will actually play out in testing is a different story.
My apologies for the triple post, but yesterday, I was feeling really crappy. Starting with stomach cramps turning into hours of vomitting, shivers... turns out I was diagnosed with the stomach flu. How I picked it up is beyond me, since I've been inside ever since classes ended, unless I was infected on the last day... you never know what goes around in those city buses.

So yeah, I'm going to be taking it easy for a few days while I recover, then I promise to start showing something for my level.
Get well soon :)
I wonder what a HFD opcode would do in ASM...
I'm going to be honest here, I've actually been procrastinating for the most past since I recovered from the flu (which I actually recovered from quite fast). Of course, that is nothing new; after my first bits of progress with Rusted Retribution, I ended up procrastinating for over two weeks before I finally kicked into full gear and produced a level (this was before SNN started requiring weekly status reports). I guess I might as well post something to indicate that I haven't been totally slacking on the level since I picked it up.

This is what I've got for a level so far. I don't intend to use any unique gimmicks for the first eight screens, apart from the Mega Moles that I will reskin into food carts (along with the unused blocks). A Portable Blaster will be placed at the spot where turn blocks form a wall, prompting a short gauntlet of enemies and blocks to follow. After that, I intend to start introducing that slew of "minigames" I promised.

I'm also thinking of giving the Banzai Bill a big smiling clown face, since this is the Carnival world. Ignore the placement of the Banzai Bill and the Timed Lift platform; I took this screenshot before I actually tested it, and corrected the positionings of both so Mario drops before the Banzai hits him.

Back onto the topic of level progress, though. Depending on what the Summer Level Contest is, I may or may not be putting this level on hold in order to participate in it, but I guess we'll wait and see, won't we?
Originally posted by GeminiRage

Back onto the topic of level progress, though. Depending on what the Summer Level Contest is, I may or may not be putting this level on hold in order to participate in it, but I guess we'll wait and see, won't we?


I wouldn't worry about having to put it on hold Gemini.

As for the actual level, it looks simple but fun, which is always good.
Not too much to comment on so far, other than that I LOVE the tileset, and that the level design looks solid from the picture. I'm glad that someone is doing a midway style level for the carnival world, because it just wouldn't feel complete without one.

As for the name, how about "Madness Midway" or "Maddening Midway?" They seem pretty fitting here.
Weekly Status report time!

Sadly, I have nothing to show this time around. I've actually been flip-flopping on design. I was originally planning to make a nonlinear level with different paths to take, but after reading through other level forums, it seems that the general concensus is that there are probably enough labyrnthine/nonlinear levels in this collab as it is (not to mention Rusted Retribution was a sort of a labyrnth in it's own way). So I ended up scrapping a sizeable chunk of level I had worked on since my last post, and now I think I've come up with a design that should pan out better.

The level is going to be much more straightforward. Think of carnival streets, with games and sideshows along the path. You will be given the option to play these or ignore them, though by passing them up, you will miss out on potential goodies and even an opportunity to find the secret exit. I've already gotten some of these games designed, I just needed to move them around with the scrapping I did.

I heard someone planned on making a "Ticket" item that's similar to a Dragon Coin. This could be something I'd want to use for this level if anyone knows what the current status on it is.
Okay folks, I've finally got an .ips ready for my level. Or at least, the normal exit.
I've decided to make the secret exit path pretty much seperate from the normal one, in a similar sense to Reclaimed Refinery. This means that all the SMWC coins are found only on the normal exit path. Due to my lack of ASM knowledge, I wasn't quite able to deliver exactly what I promised in regards to gimmicks, but I do hope that what I've got is somewhat satisfactory. As for the secret exit, it's going to be a rather large puzzle of sorts, to give you an idea where I plan to go with it.

What Still Needs to be Done.
-Secret Exit Path
-Bonus Magician Room+2nd SMWC Coin

Some things to note in the current .ips that I'm well aware of.
-The pipe at the top of Screen 08 in Level 114 leads to a test level. This is where the secret path will start when it's ready.
-The pipe on Screen 19 of Level 114 leads to another test level. This is where the Bonus Magician would've been.
-I'm still working on the Banzai Bill graphics. I'm trying to get something that doesn't feel off, but I want it to look like a clown face.
-The Solid-for-Mario Blocks don't seem to work. Course this might be because I'm using an outdated base ROM patch.
-The Snifits shoot a glitchy bullet. Yeah, I couldn't figure out where the tilemapping for the bullet was located (not to mention I dislike their current behavior).
-If some spots of the level feel bare in terms of graphics, it's because I'm working on objects to place there. In particular, I intend to add small tents and stands throughout the level in some places.
-The Goal Roulette isn't there because it got deleted upon inserting sprites into my ROM.

For the most part, I'm mainly looking for feedback in regards to the current level design, not the aesthetics. I reserved another slot of ExGFX to use for more objects plus any other aesthetics that might help.
Couldn't help noticing one of your GFX reserves is for a portable blaster sprite! I assume this launches out some form of enemy-harming Bullet Bill? I made something that I think functions almost exactly like you're looking for, except it shoots only vertically, and it launches Goombas instead of Bills. You might want to give it a look, as I recently posted a patch with this sprite in it. If it works to your liking, I could modify it to work so it launches a custom sprite in your level, and at a more horizontal angle. Maybe even add a little kick-back on the shots to give it a more authentic effect!

Edit!

Derp, kinda realized that you posted an ips, and the sprite you need is already in existence! Ah well!
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