1-1 - Green Plains

[Cacazk]

Hello , this is the new level 1-1 of my episode, the first was not very good and I decided to do something better...
I returned to create the The Domination, this time the story will be remade, and also will have the Twink, the star of the image below that will help mario giving some tips and will have a new villain, beyond the Bowser will have another villain who wants to dominate all Mushroom Kingdom, I'm still thinking the name and how it will be...

ScreeN:

Spoiler: show

DownloaD: http://www.mediafire.com/download/a9lad ... Plains.rar

[aero]

This is great for a 1-1 level. It's well put together and pretty fun to play through. There's nothing that I can find that's wrong with the level so keep up the good work!

[Zipper]

Levels like this really accentuate the fact that SMBX's screen is REALLY DAMN BIG. The whole time through I had to lock my eyes to the bottom half of the screen, which is very uncomfortable after a while. This isn't a fault on your end though. As for the level itself, it was nice. It introduced the fruit mechanic and used it through the whole level. It's not very interesting, mind you, but this is 1-1, so it's understandable. I do like how using them to access a secret area AND get the star in the secret area was a thing, though. Not much else to say about it, good level overall.

[Cacazk]

This is great for a 1-1 level. It's well put together and pretty fun to play through. There's nothing that I can find that's wrong with the level so keep up the good work!

Thanks, I liked the comment !

Levels like this really accentuate the fact that SMBX's screen is REALLY DAMN BIG. The whole time through I had to lock my eyes to the bottom half of the screen, which is very uncomfortable after a while. This isn't a fault on your end though. As for the level itself, it was nice. It introduced the fruit mechanic and used it through the whole level. It's not very interesting, mind you, but this is 1-1, so it's understandable. I do like how using them to access a secret area AND get the star in the secret area was a thing, though. Not much else to say about it, good level overall.

You felt uncomfortable, perhaps because you must be tired of play SMBX. This type of level design makes the player feel more free and leaves the level more fun, I did not see a problem with that... Did anyone see?...
Thanks for the comment, anyway !

[HeroLinik]

Review time!

Level design: 6.2/10
This is quite a nice overworld run that captures the feel of a traditional Mario level, without going overboard with nonlinearity and gimmicks, and it functions very well for its purpose as a 1-1 level. While a little on the short side, the level still provided a nice challenge and ideas were put well together to make for an enjoyable experience. One of the selling points for the level was the way that the level was designed to work around Yoshi as much as possible, in particular with the introduction of the fruit gimmick which could only be removed by eating them with Yoshi. While this idea has been used before, it hasn't been featured as much in a level to this point, where it basically predates and drives the whole level. In particular, I like how it was used to seal off a secret area and make the player do a gauntlet of enemies before being rewarded with a secret star, which almost seems just as rewarding for this stage in the episode. Unfortunately, considering that this level is part of an episode, you seem to have gone a bit overboard with the hidden 1-Ups throughout the level (I counted 6), and some are placed in rather obvious positions while others are almost impossible to get without returning with a Super Leaf or Goomba's Shoe, meaning someone playing the episode can quickly rack up lives. I would tone down on that a little. But it's still a well-designed level with variance in the ground so it doesn't look too flat or anything. It just needs to be lengthened a little, that's all. Also this isn't necessary, but a little bonus area in the sky may be nice as well, taking advantage of the fact that the level is in an episode where the player can return with a Super Leaf.

Graphics and music: 7.7/10
The level's music is perfect for the kind of platforming to expect. It evokes an exotic feel that is somewhat synonymous with Yoshi, and while Yoshi is the main focus of the level, I couldn't agree anymore with your musical choice. Graphics are telling of a similar tale as well. While it doesn't go overboard with custom graphics, the beauty of the level is the way default and custom graphics are combined into somewhat of a work of art. Everything is styled to SMB3 and related to the grassland atmosphere of the level, so there are no clashes. What's more, the background objects being used are well-featured and are placed in a largely naturalistic way to further drive in the grassland idea of the level, with the exception of a few tall grass BGs being placed too close together - I would personally space them out a little. Another minor gripe I found was the "Fire Flower" found behind one of the fruit. It's very easy to get mislead into thinking that's the real thing, so I would try and differentiate it from the real thing as much as possible so the player doesn't get misled. It also looks rather out of place from the rest of the graphics in the level.

NPC placement: 7.1/10
I already mentioned about the 1-Up issue and the gauntlet idea earlier on in the review, but here there are some more things to talk about. There are some points in the level where Goombas and Paragoombas are overused, and some areas that show a noticeable lack of enemies. This problem stems from the fact that the level is too short, and thus it's as though you're trying to make up for it. Fortunately, not all is bad about the NPC placement. Considering that this is a short level, there's no need for a checkpoint, and you seem to have realised this and not put one down, which is great. Powerups are rather evenly placed out as well as if to stop the level getting too hard or too easy, and while there is an even distribution of coins throughout the level, there don't seem to be that many in the level (58) to be noticeable. But then again, this is owing to the fact that the level is short, which has had a knock-on effect on a lot of things in the level.

Overall result: 7/10
Well, would you look at that, the score is bang-on 7 out of 10. First and foremost, fix the length of the level so it's a bit longer and more interesting, thus allowing the fruit gimmick to be sustained further. That'll help fix the other flaws I've mentioned in this review.

[Matt_The_Slime]

This was a pretty good level! Maybe increase the length a bit though, it's pretty short
Video:

Spoiler: show

[The Thwomp King]

Alrighty I must say your level fits really well as the introductory level in your episode.

As far as visuals go, you did a good job using your bgo's and blocks to make the level nicely decorated. The music builds onto the environment as well; a suitable choice for this level. The atmosphere overall is well done, and warmly welcomes the player to the new episode you've created. Be mindful of some of the bgo placement, as I noticed some spots where they're all bunched up and some small areas that lack them at all. Another thing to check is the fire flower behind the fruit, you should change that up so it doesn't look like the real deal. The general design of the level itself is pretty well done, and it was fun playing through. It was smart to open up with the Yoshi blocks, being mindful of the second player and starting things off easy overall. Furthermore you made sure the level revolved around Yoshi too, exploring the basics of using the dinosaur by setting up all the different fruits and enemies for it to eat. Even having the secret area with the two fruit was a good decision on your part. You don't want to spoil the player with too many power ups or tools, but what you did works perfectly fine by making sure the player works with what they were given. The 1-Ups are a nice surprise, but I think moving them up a little higher up will make it more rewarding and convenient if it didn't spawn from hitting a nearby block (the one directly below it ) as well not having as many as you had. The length was good for not having a checkpoint too. The NPC Placement was relatively nice with exception to the 1-ups, but your mistake is the same as what you did with the bgo's; some spots had too many npcs while others had little to no npcs. Coin placement was fair, and you distributed the power ups fine. Lastly this level has good replayability for it's basic fun gameplay and overall good atmosphere.

With this level you certainly set the standard for other levels you'll have coming up in your episode, so great work!

7.2/10

Averaging this with Linik's you have a solid 7.1/10. Moved to Pretty Good!

[Cacazk]

This was a pretty good level! Maybe increase the length a bit though, it's pretty short
Video:

Spoiler: show

Thank you for writing level!

Spoiler: show

Review time!

Level design: 6.2/10
This is quite a nice overworld run that captures the feel of a traditional Mario level, without going overboard with nonlinearity and gimmicks, and it functions very well for its purpose as a 1-1 level. While a little on the short side, the level still provided a nice challenge and ideas were put well together to make for an enjoyable experience. One of the selling points for the level was the way that the level was designed to work around Yoshi as much as possible, in particular with the introduction of the fruit gimmick which could only be removed by eating them with Yoshi. While this idea has been used before, it hasn't been featured as much in a level to this point, where it basically predates and drives the whole level. In particular, I like how it was used to seal off a secret area and make the player do a gauntlet of enemies before being rewarded with a secret star, which almost seems just as rewarding for this stage in the episode. Unfortunately, considering that this level is part of an episode, you seem to have gone a bit overboard with the hidden 1-Ups throughout the level (I counted 6), and some are placed in rather obvious positions while others are almost impossible to get without returning with a Super Leaf or Goomba's Shoe, meaning someone playing the episode can quickly rack up lives. I would tone down on that a little. But it's still a well-designed level with variance in the ground so it doesn't look too flat or anything. It just needs to be lengthened a little, that's all. Also this isn't necessary, but a little bonus area in the sky may be nice as well, taking advantage of the fact that the level is in an episode where the player can return with a Super Leaf.

Graphics and music: 7.7/10
The level's music is perfect for the kind of platforming to expect. It evokes an exotic feel that is somewhat synonymous with Yoshi, and while Yoshi is the main focus of the level, I couldn't agree anymore with your musical choice. Graphics are telling of a similar tale as well. While it doesn't go overboard with custom graphics, the beauty of the level is the way default and custom graphics are combined into somewhat of a work of art. Everything is styled to SMB3 and related to the grassland atmosphere of the level, so there are no clashes. What's more, the background objects being used are well-featured and are placed in a largely naturalistic way to further drive in the grassland idea of the level, with the exception of a few tall grass BGs being placed too close together - I would personally space them out a little. Another minor gripe I found was the "Fire Flower" found behind one of the fruit. It's very easy to get mislead into thinking that's the real thing, so I would try and differentiate it from the real thing as much as possible so the player doesn't get misled. It also looks rather out of place from the rest of the graphics in the level.

NPC placement: 7.1/10
I already mentioned about the 1-Up issue and the gauntlet idea earlier on in the review, but here there are some more things to talk about. There are some points in the level where Goombas and Paragoombas are overused, and some areas that show a noticeable lack of enemies. This problem stems from the fact that the level is too short, and thus it's as though you're trying to make up for it. Fortunately, not all is bad about the NPC placement. Considering that this is a short level, there's no need for a checkpoint, and you seem to have realised this and not put one down, which is great. Powerups are rather evenly placed out as well as if to stop the level getting too hard or too easy, and while there is an even distribution of coins throughout the level, there don't seem to be that many in the level (58) to be noticeable. But then again, this is owing to the fact that the level is short, which has had a knock-on effect on a lot of things in the level.

Overall result: 7/10
Well, would you look at that, the score is bang-on 7 out of 10. First and foremost, fix the length of the level so it's a bit longer and more interesting, thus allowing the fruit gimmick to be sustained further. That'll help fix the other flaws I've mentioned in this review.

Thank you for review, the fire flower is just an "Easter Egg"...

Spoiler: show

Alrighty I must say your level fits really well as the introductory level in your episode.

As far as visuals go, you did a good job using your bgo's and blocks to make the level nicely decorated. The music builds onto the environment as well; a suitable choice for this level. The atmosphere overall is well done, and warmly welcomes the player to the new episode you've created. Be mindful of some of the bgo placement, as I noticed some spots where they're all bunched up and some small areas that lack them at all. Another thing to check is the fire flower behind the fruit, you should change that up so it doesn't look like the real deal. The general design of the level itself is pretty well done, and it was fun playing through. It was smart to open up with the Yoshi blocks, being mindful of the second player and starting things off easy overall. Furthermore you made sure the level revolved around Yoshi too, exploring the basics of using the dinosaur by setting up all the different fruits and enemies for it to eat. Even having the secret area with the two fruit was a good decision on your part. You don't want to spoil the player with too many power ups or tools, but what you did works perfectly fine by making sure the player works with what they were given. The 1-Ups are a nice surprise, but I think moving them up a little higher up will make it more rewarding and convenient if it didn't spawn from hitting a nearby block (the one directly below it ) as well not having as many as you had. The length was good for not having a checkpoint too. The NPC Placement was relatively nice with exception to the 1-ups, but your mistake is the same as what you did with the bgo's; some spots had too many npcs while others had little to no npcs. Coin placement was fair, and you distributed the power ups fine. Lastly this level has good replayability for it's basic fun gameplay and overall good atmosphere.

With this level you certainly set the standard for other levels you'll have coming up in your episode, so great work!

7.2/10

Averaging this with Linik's you have a solid 7.1/10. Moved to Pretty Good!

This review is very good, you are a great judge ! The 1ups are just to win lives if is missing in the episode, does not mean it will be so in all levels of the episode.