Level Design Tips

[FanofSMBX]

Do we even know yet why the powerup hitting lava can sometimes trigger the game crash?
The first thing I did when I witnessed that happening was test it in various other levels. I noticed that only some of them actually cause the error when the powerup hits lava, meaning there's a certain set of parameters in the level that are causing the error to happen and the powerup hitting the lava is only the trigger. There could be any number of parameters, or multiple different sets that result in the error happening. I assume it's very complex if no one's managed to figure it out yet.

Idk but Kevsoft said it one day and fixed it in Lunalua 0.7. If you have more than like 1600 something blocks it happens.

[bossedit8]

Idk but Kevsoft said it one day and fixed it in Lunalua 0.7. If you have more than like 1600 something blocks it happens.

No. It's 6104: http://www.smbxgame.com/forums/v ... =69&t=9528

[Magician]

Funny, I just tested that and the error didn't start happening until I made the mushroom hit the lava in section 2 (it didn't happen at all in section 1) and until I had hundreds more blocks than that given number. Then again, it was said that a block had to have the index 6104 and I don't know how the block indexing system works.

[eitan555]

OK, you are making your first SMBX episode, but you are not a savvy level designer. OK. I have been there before, but I will share some tips for you to become a renowned creator in the SMBX universe.
1. Never use vines, ropes or ladders in warp pipe sequences, unless there is another way to get to the other pipe.
If you do this, you are forcing your players to abandon their Yoshi's, Kuribo Shoes and any other mount behind.
Just keep it simple with a jump, slope or a springboard.

2. CGFX use.
CGFX is an important element in any level, because it sets the atmosphere. Try to stray away from vanilla SMBX graphics and use custom ones more.
However, don't use them too much, because as castlewars said, It's not about the graphics, it's how you use them.

3. Where to use slopes.
Caves:YES
Grassland:YES
Underwater:YES
Castle:NO
Toad House:NO
Desert:YES
Airship:NO

4. Don't place enemy spawners near eachother or at a fast rate.
Title says it all. Don't do it or you will make an easy 1-up generator.

5. Don't make your levels have inconsistent difficulty, unless your episode is Kaizo grade.
For a good episode, make the levels easy at the start of the episode, and as the player advances, make the levels harder. You still want the levels to be challenging, as they won't enjoy the level if it's too easy or too hard. Try to make most levels fall between, because you want a mix of easy and hard.

6. Use of block layers.
Moving blocks add atmosphere and challenge to levels. Try making platforms on hung on chains move up and down, or side to side, or making airships or boats bob up and down.

That's all I have for now, hope this helps some newbies.

2. I dont think you need to stay away from cgfx as long as it fits your levels.
4. not all npc can be killed so its not so bad of an idea to put 2 generators togrther.

[HeroLinik]

2. CGFX use.
CGFX is an important element in any level, because it sets the atmosphere. Try to stray away from vanilla SMBX graphics and use custom ones more.

There's no rule that states all episodes and levels need to have custom graphics. In fact, if you don't use custom graphics where it's not appropriate, it'll look more like the "classic" SMBX prior to 1.2, and it's gotten to the point where vanilla levels are really rare and CGFX levels have taken over. A good place to not use them would be when you want to give people a nostalgia boner by designing a level in the style of older episodes.
And here's another one, which is more aimed at novice level designers, but beginners can use it as well; try and innovate whenever you can, and come up with a new gimmick. Not all the gimmicks have been taken: there's plenty more fish in the sea. Try and look beyond SMBX's conventional limits and use the NPCs to the fullest by attaching them to blocks to create oddly-moving platforms.

[Emral]

3. Where to use slopes.
Castle:NO

PLACING SLOPES IN A CASTLE IS A SIN. SHUN NINTENDO FOR DOING SO!

There's no rule that states all episodes and levels need to have custom graphics. In fact, if you don't use custom graphics where it's not appropriate, it'll look more like the "classic" SMBX prior to 1.2, and it's gotten to the point where vanilla levels are really rare and CGFX levels have taken over. A good place to not use them would be when you want to give people a nostalgia boner by designing a level in the style of older episodes.

With the introduction of customisable graphics in Version 1.3, the SMBX community started developing towards testing the borders of the program and seeing just how far they can get. Both mechanics-wise and graphics-wise. With many people attempting to make levels with atmosphere commonly found in cinematic 3D games nowadays, downgraded to 16-bit to fit SMBX, an all-classic level in between all the levels with cool atmosphere looks lackluster.

Nostalgia-Boners can't be achieved if the designer of said classic level didn't do a good job at porting the game's design into SMBX and adapting it to SMBX' ridiculous screen size. Many people fail in this regard, which makes Nostalgia-Boner levels one of the most rare kind of levels. The community's standards on level design are far off from Nintendo's, due to the features SMBX offers, as well as its screen size. You can't port 1-1 from SMB3 to SMBX without making it look boring because the upper half of the screen will be empty.

In conclusion, it's easier and more rewarding to go with the flow and attempt some good atmosphere in your levels. On a sidenote, atmosphere partially distracts from terrible design.

And here's another one, which is more aimed at novice level designers, but beginners can use it as well; try and innovate whenever you can, and come up with a new gimmick. Not all the gimmicks have been taken: there's plenty more fish in the sea. Try and look beyond SMBX's conventional limits and use the NPCs to the fullest by attaching them to blocks to create oddly-moving platforms.

Wouldn't aim this at novices, but more towards advanced designers. Novices should get familiar with all of SMBX' features and ease themselves into its advanced mechanics.

[HeroLinik]

In conclusion, it's easier and more rewarding to go with the flow and attempt some good atmosphere in your levels. On a sidenote, atmosphere partially distracts from terrible design.

If you concentrate too much on the atmosphere and the graphics of the level, the design is going to suffer. A common newbie trap is to get distracted by cool fancy custom graphics just so their level will look "good", when in actual fact they've been distracted too much by them, so their level design slips (don't get me wrong, I fell for it as well). Remember, it's not about the custom graphics, it's about how you use them.

[Emral]

In conclusion, it's easier and more rewarding to go with the flow and attempt some good atmosphere in your levels. On a sidenote, atmosphere partially distracts from terrible design.

If you concentrate too much on the atmosphere and the graphics of the level, the design is going to suffer. A common newbie trap is to get distracted by cool fancy custom graphics just so their level will look "good", when in actual fact they've been distracted too much by them, so their level design slips (don't get me wrong, I fell for it as well). Remember, it's not about the custom graphics, it's about how you use them.

I'm not talking about the designer, I'm talking about the player. The designer will always try their best to bring out a good level, unless they're forcefully trying to make a bad level.

[awesome_gamer]

About the venus fire trap crashing issue, I have had that issue before.

[meowflash]

Ok, back on topic.

116. Don't make the player die whenever they get to the goal, unless there's a P-Switch and a coin bridge, or maybe a different goal where they don't die.
117. Below is a list of things in a level that are nope.

117a. Lava in grasslands = Nope
117b. Bosses in Toad Houses = Nope
117c. Spikes in a desert = Nope
117d. Mushrooms going into lava = Game Crash + Nope
117e. Getting many 1UPs from a room full of Goombas = Nope
117f. Too many Kamikaze shells = So much nope
117g. Mean and Nasty P-Switch Tricks = So much nope

118. If you want to use SMB2 Bosses in an SMB3 level, make sure you SMB3 recolor them.
119. Make sure the music fits the level COMPLETELY.
120. Do not put rude gestures in a level or you might be considered evil.
121. When making a hub, make sure you have the themes for ALL the worlds in different sections.

[glitch4]

116. Don't make the player die whenever they get to the goal, unless there's a P-Switch and a coin bridge, or maybe a different goal where they don't die.

This tip works for kaizo levels.

117. Below is a list of things in a level that are nope.

117a. Lava in grasslands = Nope
117b. Bosses in Toad Houses = Nope
117c. Spikes in a desert = Nope
117d. Mushrooms going into lava = Game Crash + Nope
117e. Getting many 1UPs from a room full of Goombas = Nope
117f. Too many Kamikaze shells = So much nope
117g. Mean and Nasty P-Switch Tricks = So much nope

Idk if it's pointless, there's many things that they're nope.

119. Make sure the music fits the level COMPLETELY.

Most people know that.

120. Do not put rude gestures in a level or you might be considered evil.

I don't think anyone did that.

121. When making a hub, make sure you have the themes for ALL the worlds in different sections.

I don't think that's really necessary, but whatever, you can do it so.

[Shadow Yoshi]

I don't think recoloring SMB2 bosses in SMB3 levels is necessary at all.

[Mable]

Ok, back on topic.

Sry meowflash the new moderator

118. If you want to use SMB2 Bosses in an SMB3 level, make sure you SMB3 recolor them

Thats like saying "recolor the smb2 npcs if you use them in a smb3 level"

We don't have to do that since it already worked fine in before episodes that made use of smb3 and smb2 together.

[PersonNamedUser]

122.Mixing SMB2 Npcs with SMB3,SMB1, Or SMW Npcs makes the level have more diverse enemies.
You don't have to mix SMB2 Enemies with enemies from other Mario games or vise-versa
but it is a pretty creative thing to try.

[Taker]

123. If you want to make a SMW ghost house with ghost blocks, make the SMB3 Boo Didly's graphic invisible, and make a layer for each block. Then you put the block down with it's layer(layer1), then go to the boo's advanced settings and select "Attach to layer - (layer1)". Do this backwards for a SMB3 ghost house.

EDIT: Don't forget to set the ghost of the block to "Friendly".

[h2643]

tip #xxx: don't fill your levels with shit, they are not fun to play and therefore they don't look good.
tip #xxx2: don't make levels that can be beaten under 1 minute nor they should take you over 5-6 minutes to beat normally. Explorative levels (aka levels with reasonable secrets) can be up to 8 minutes. These lenghts are perfect in my opinion and therefore your levels have more chances to be great.

[mariofan 64]

tip #xxx3: Clouds can look bad when stationary. Attach them to layers and make them move using events. It create great life in a level that would otherwise have little of.
tip #xxx4: Background objects exist for a reason. If there are foreground BGOs, replace them with some other graphics, and that will create a sense of depth in a level in which there was none before.

[SecondScolipede]

tip #xxx5: If you place something that only exists to aid you in level testing, be sure to remove it before releasing the level.

[Taker]

Tip #xxx6: If you don't have the graphics to make a layer that crushes look good, then add spikes. Spikes always work unless you have a crushing this as a graphic. EG SMW crushers.

[h2643]

Why do you guys copycat my "#xxx" thing rofl