Level Contest 7 - Topic 2 - THE WINNER

[Fuyu]

I really can't believe I actually made it past tier 3, with a level I made in, say 5 days, maximum. Let's see how far I actually get.

[andregemeo23]

I already expected that result but not imagined that would as low the my position ...
I nor would participate but soon on day that the term had finished, i decided catch a level unfinished and add some tricks. And that was a error... Have lost many points because I forgot to put the warp for the final of phase. =(

[icez]

If a make it past tier 4 I'll be surprised I've already surpassed my expectations already, but I did put about a whole month into making the level so maybe my hard work will pay off with a really high ranking or maybe victory if I am lucky

[leif_erikson]

Apparently you couldn't use LunaDLL in this contest, which could explain it. A few MAGL X participants probably did use LunaDLL, but I'm not really sure on what happened.

You were allowed to use LunaDLL in MaGL X, but no one did.

SMBX version compatible with lunadll didn't exist until like a week before MAGL deadline was up, so it's unlikely anyone would use it.

[Cheez]

Yep, wasn't expecting my level to get much farther than that. Seems people enjoyed it overall though, so I'm happy!

Standard stuff:
-Unpolished: Yes, it really is. I did actually mean to polish up its looks, but my laptop decided to crash halfway through the month we were given. I was fortunate enough that I basically had the structure of the level itself mostly how I wanted it, which was the most important thing to me, but it also meant I couldn't really do much more in the way of making it look good anymore.
-Like a minecart level: Yep! Exactly what I was going for, and inspired by.
-Midpoint placement: heh. Well, that's a story on its own. Originally it wasn't going to have a midpoint at all because I had no idea how that would have worked, but then I wanted to preface it with some amusing reason about why and how somebody was rocketing across the land while standing still or running backwards. That caused two problems: 1, the background wasn't the cave background which I really wanted to use, and 2, it got tedious going through the barber shop every time I had to start from the beginning. I figured I had to figure out how to change sections early on for the background's sake anyway, and I might as well put a midpoint there to cut out the tedious part.

Then when I was mostly done with the level (and had forgotten how I made the midpoint work) I realized that I figured out how to make a midpoint work, and I should have put it somewhere where a midpoint could make sense. Whoops.

Anyway, more specific stuff:

Spoiler: show

Tier 3
46. Cheez - A Close Shave (6.446/10)

• castlewars: 4.63/10
  This is essentially just a minecart level because the idea is that the player is standing still yet is moving along an invisible track. Even so, as it turns out, the idea was not executed very well because the level's gameplay and aesthetics are really bland - it's just watching the player ride an invisible minecart and the gist of the level doesn't require skill but memorising the SMBX player physics The physics thing was actually something I noticed accidentally, and decided to let the player know about under the guise of a simple feature rather than leaving players to wonder why they sometimes jumped higher and farther than other times. That's not bad, is it? and using this to figure out the jumps, which need to be done almost perfectly - one miscalculation can result in a fiery death in the lava pits, and this isn't helped by the fact the level is too long despite the checkpoint. Then there are also areas in which the player is forced to duck and this gets really common as the level progresses, alongside having to get the jumps accurately, as they have to do it for around 25% of the time. ...You don't need to duck THAT much, do you? Even so... um. Yeah. You have to duck occasionally. I don't really know what your point is. The other 75% is just watching the player move and judging the jumps, but the instant warps were used pretty well at the checkpoint, though. Thank you! That was a real hassle to figure out. Sorry if the level just wasn't your thing though.
  Chad: 7.6/10
  Really nice idea! It truly recreates the DKC Minecart feeling and gameplay without literally being it. The level is extremely well made for this kind of purpose, and the concept behind it is humorous. While it may be a little long and unforgiving, I also found myself extra eager to try again because it's the kind of difficulty where you know what you just barely messed up when you die. Usually minecart gimmicks are just rainbow shells on tracks way too complicated for them, but this felt very authentic and I felt I could react to each jump. Perfect! Glad to hear you think it was a satisfying difficulty, I was getting a little worried after the first review. Fun fact: I didn't realize that riding a rainbow shell actually came standard with the game- I figured it was a result of some pro-level custom programming. Even if I knew, though, I still would have gone with this because getting on the shells is a hassle and the spinning is always just so inexplicable whenever it doesn't look like a shell. However, I found it a little annoying that Toad tells you not to jump when doing so is pretty important for the entire level. I got crushed into the first wall a few times because, heeding his advice, I thought maybe the level would do something on its own. Of course, that's before I knew the level would be a minecart sort, but it's still misleading. Yeah, I realized that line could be taken that way a little too late.
  Firespike33: 7/10
  A really cool level reminiscent of Mine Cart Carnage. It was really fun and had a lot of tricky jumps. Hard, but very satisfying. Unfortunately, the graphics are far from polished--clash is everywhere and scenery is nowhere be seen. Agreed. You can also get an insane amount of 1-UPs near the end because a rainbow Koopa shell kills dozens of Podoboos in a row. Whoops. Yeah, I tried to keep them from spawning in into the shell, but I guess it's just not really avoidable. It was fun, but not polished.
  Quill: 7/10
  What a silly level! It was super creative! The concept was brilliant! It wasn't executed to perfection sadly, as there were a few glitchy moments and some points in the level where you didn't have much time to react. I would have liked to see the checkpoint put further into the level, as it was literally right at the start. Overall, good level! And now I'm all happy. Too bad to hear about the glitches though. I tried my best to keep them from happening (and they happened in a LOT of the stupidest ways- for example, upward slopes are fine, but downward slopes kill you if you're not big. Also, Link's downstab puts the level in slowmo somehow) but I guess I couldn't keep everything from messing up.
  Valtteri: 6/10
  The concept is fairly original and it works well but the run is way too long in my opinion, even the half after the Checkpoint. It gets really frustrating. Or maybe I'm just bad. I didn't really think it was too long. It only ended up being around 90 seconds, iirc. Though I admit if you have to pay attention for all 90 seconds then, yeah, maybe it does kind of make you start hoping you're near the end.

Overall, I'm glad I at least hit the notes that I was aiming to hit, even if it was fairly unpolished. Thanks for the reviews, and for extending the invitation over to the Talkhaus! I probably wouldn't have had the fun I did making this otherwise.

[XuticX]

well i'm out. guess i didn't have what it takes.

everyone was saying my level would make a good 1-1. it was meant to be a 1-3. close though guys! also i couldn't really do anything about the propeller graphic. i tried to re-size it but i couldn't get it to work.

{and the whole thing appears to be a homage to the NSMB series, with the graphics, music and even the powerups} not surprised you think that. i try to make my levels more like nsmb and nsmbwii.

{but not as well because the player can get crushed as the pipe rises} you just have to be aware to avoid that.

{but Mario wasn’t too well-animated, Ice Mario had incorrect coloring and sorry, but Propeller Mario’s animations were a trainwreck} eh. i tried to recolor mario for a smw-smb3 feel but i guess it didn't work out. i didn't find it that bad though. propeller mario as i said before i've already tried fixing it but i really didn't get anywhere.

{I could NOT find the third Star Coin} there's three. one in the very beginning after you jump from the two set's of two bricks, one when you destroy the pipe in the cavern, and one where you have to go through the wall like a gimic in nsmbwii.

{although some new mechanics and more variety would have been awesome.} sorry but i'm the linear 1-1 kind of level maker. i tried to add a gimmick with the destroying the pipe with the bomb and the flag pole ending. guess it wasn't enough.

{Man, what a nice level! It reminded me so much of a normal Nintendo level from NSMB but in SMBX and I thought that was neat!} i may have gotten 41st but that's all i wanted to hear.


*OFF TOPIC* Natsu. i just realized your avatar says hero and not nerd. lol

[MidiGuyDP]

Many thanks for the review guys. One of the reasons I sent the level is to get a bit of an idea of my level as a level designer.

So this was a good help. ^^

castlewars: 7.2/10
This was a nice, casual and linear level - a nice reprieve from the amount of nonlinear levels the community gets all the time. The gentle, rolling hills make it seem like this so the level isn't too flat, and the bubbles were interesting as well, as I haven't seen them used that much before. As well as providing some interesting backdrop, they can also hinder the player's jumps as well because if they strike an enemy they'll be damaged, and I also liked the use of the Skull Switches, so that hitting one triggers the other. There were a few SMW items placed into the mix as well, but they clash quite badly because they're too vibrant, which doesn't fit in with the darker SMB3 items. However, still talking of this, the tree bark provided a nice backdrop, and some of the bark can hide secrets, including stars, but they require the player to figure out where to jump because the Jump Blocks aren't placed where the player is expecting them to be, so there is a small deal of guessing in this level, while the rest is just in the player playing it like a Mario platformer.

Thanks, I tend to like making the general linear type level. I'll probably change the skull switches to ? switches in the future. May also try to put some sort of clues for the note blocks. As I felt myself they were a little too "luck based" hidden.

Chad: 7.1/10
The design is pretty good and has enough variation to keep things interesting. The terrain is constantly changing and there's a lot of underwater obstacles mixed in with the platforming. It looks rather nice as well, although I think more effort could have been put into the interior decoration. Great focus on bubble enemies/items above and fish below, as they made for interesting maneuvering through those areas. The stars are placed well, but the necessity of invisible note blocks for one of them isn't good, as it makes it luck-based. Nice application of the skull switch, though. This is a relatively standard level, but I really like how it's laid out.

'
Thanks. True, I think I didn't have much decoration in the interiors. May add a little in there. Though what could do well in a tree trunk? hmmm....

Firespike33: 6.5/10
While linear, it was a pretty fun level. The enemies were well-placed, the music and graphics were pretty good, and my favorite part was looking for secrets. They were pretty well-hidden, utilising things like hidden blocks, and I felt smart when I found them. There is a bit of clash between SMB3 and SMW elements, though, and it was still really a very simple level.

Yeah, I was wondering if there would be a little clash since I used the smw trees. Tried to recolor them to match a bit better. I guess they would need re-shading to really blend in.

Quill: 5/10
What a cute little level! I actually quite enjoyed it. I didn't like how there were invisible note blocks in some places and they were required to find to get a star, I found all of them by complete luck. It'll be annoying for other players since there is no indication like a coin that they're there. The star in the tree should have been a SMW star, as it was right near the end and having to play the level all again would be irritating. I also felt there was a lot of enemy spam towards the end. Overall it's a decent level, nothing spectacular, but I still had fun playing it.

Hehe, I tend to put a lot of sprites to keep things lively. Though when you do that it's hard not to overdo it. I'll probably put some kind of clue for the note blocks.

Valtteri: 7/10
Level crashes on load with error 13. It's because the blue Koopa has speed=1.5 applied. By removing that I can play the level just fine. This level is simple but fun. I didn't find enything in particular to complain about. It isn't very original but it's still pretty enjoyable. The design is reminiscent to that of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World.

Yeah, I usually go for that "simplicity, but somewhat detailed" feel. Sorry about the decimals error. Is there anything that you can put a decimal as? I'll have to change quite a few Blue Koopas. I'm also gonna have to mod some mushrooms in certain levels.(Lava reasons lol)

Well, then, thanks for the contest, and I look forward to the next.

[Raster]

I really can't believe I actually made it past tier 3, with a level I made in, say 5 days, maximum. Let's see how far I actually get.

Same, except I made mines in three hours.

[Mable]

Halleluiah.

This is not a correct english you dongo.

Yeah it doesn't matter even when you made it in three hours. If you put in alot of effort even in a short time the level is better instead of immediatly rushing it.

[silent_]

I really can't believe I actually made it past tier 3, with a level I made in, say 5 days, maximum. Let's see how far I actually get.

I made mine in a month, working on it numerous hours a day. It was exhausting work, so I hope it pays off into at least tier five, even though that may be asking too much.

I frankly have no idea how you can make a level in five days; not even a week. Especially three hours.

[RudeGuy]

When will be posted results 4?

[silent_]

When will be posted results 4?

Today.

[bossedit8]

When will be posted results 4?

Better be endurance because the next Tier release is maybe at the same time of day like yesterday.

[Emral]

When will be posted results 4?

How about you stop ignoring what everyone says? It's 1 tier per day.

[Valtteri]

Tier 4 is up!

[RudeGuy]

When will be posted results 4?

How about you stop ignoring what everyone says? It's 1 tier per day.

I was offline.

Also, Castlewars says in the review of my level, that lacked a checkpoint, when it isn't true.
Anyways, I arrived at tier 4 and that's good.

[Rolim]

Well 29 is not bad at all ITS AMAZING! For the second try (...or basicly the first because the other contest was cancelled...) Im very happy about the judges comments. Oh and sorry about the last part. I guess im going to keep working on my project this comments give me corage to continue!
Thanks Guys and im going to certificate no errors will be in my future project

[deadfish]

Lot of joke levels at the start, then some sick ass levels and some quite high scores in tier 4.
This contest looks like a moothy one so far.

[HealthyMario]

Kley got 7.6 and Christian07 got 7.08
Why does Christian07 got higher than Kley?

[ElTipsta]

Kley got 7.6 and Christian07 got 7.08
Why does Christian07 got higher than Kley?

That might be a typo.