Musicality's Pile of Levels

Oshi · Postby **Oshi** » Thu Dec 07, 2017 5:48 pm

I actually make levels, what a surprise!

Independent Levels:

Spoiler: show

Showcase Levels:

Spoiler: show

Don't expect me to come out with levels quickly, I usually don't work too much on my levels in a day-to-day period, more like a week-to-week period and even sometimes longer.

Radiance · Postby **Radiance** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 10:54 am

Came here to say that 32 by 64 slope in Greenstone Mountain is very buggy. Once you kick a shell towards it, the shell gets high dramatically. Once you walk on it, it will slow down the player.

I might review Glorious Grasslands btw.

Cedur · Postby **Cedur** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:20 am

looks cool! are you using these two levels for Super Mario Legacy?

FireyPaperMario · Postby **FireyPaperMario** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 10:58 am

Oh boy, can't wait!

Oshi · Postby **Oshi** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 6:38 pm

Cedur wrote:looks cool! are you using these two levels for Super Mario Legacy?

Actually, no, probably not.

Shadow_Flame · Postby **Shadow_Flame** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 2:29 pm

Hi there, Musicality_Minister45. I played through the Greenstone Mountain level and here is my feedback:

- Those Bullet Bills in the second half of the level can be really hard to dodge, especially that section with the Banzai Bill. It's almost impossible not to take damage unless you instantly kill one of the Red Koopas or if you go back to avoid all enemies on the platform.
- What would you use to hit the first red switch if you accidentally kill both Goombas and the Red Koopa in that section? The player might be stuck...
- The level has nice music from Yoshi's Island and the background design is mellow (although that hue of green clashes a bit with the pipes and can get hard on the eyes to look at). Also, some of those diagonal green blocks can get a bit awkward to stand on and can make things glitchy for enemies.
- There were one or two places where the background was peeking through the platforms (see screenshot below):

In general, the level feels a bit short and bland but with relatively good graphics. Maybe try introducing a few clever gimmicks to it? And perhaps get rid of the Banzai Bills as their positioning seems very unfair to players. Hope this feedback helps though!

Oshi · Postby **Oshi** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:32 pm

Shadow_Flame wrote:

Wait, did I really end up missing that?

Thanks for the feedback, though. The level was a bit rushed and I didn't have an excuse for it, but I am still learning a lot about level designing.

Shadow_Flame · Postby **Shadow_Flame** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:44 pm

Musicality_Minister45 wrote:
Shadow_Flame wrote:
Wait, did I really end up missing that?

Thanks for the feedback, though. The level was a bit rushed and I didn't have an excuse for it, but I am still learning a lot about level designing.

It's alright, it's not the end of the world

I think there was another one shortly after that. Keep designing levels and here's a good tip - make each one memorable...

PixelPest · Postby **PixelPest** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:34 pm

Shadow_Flame wrote:Maybe try introducing a few clever gimmicks to it?

A level doesn't need to have a gimmick, and in most cases it definitely doesn't need more than one

Shadow_Flame · Postby **Shadow_Flame** » Fri Dec 15, 2017 1:17 pm

PixelPest wrote:
Shadow_Flame wrote:Maybe try introducing a few clever gimmicks to it?
A level doesn't need to have a gimmick, and in most cases it definitely doesn't need more than one

This question was put there as a suggestion, I'm not saying that the level designer must use gimmicks. And it's up to anyone individually how many gimmicks (if any) they wish to use in a level.

PixelPest · Postby **PixelPest** » Fri Dec 15, 2017 6:22 pm

Shadow_Flame wrote:
PixelPest wrote:
Shadow_Flame wrote:Maybe try introducing a few clever gimmicks to it?
A level doesn't need to have a gimmick, and in most cases it definitely doesn't need more than one
This question was put there as a suggestion, I'm not saying that the level designer must use gimmicks. And it's up to anyone individually how many gimmicks (if any) they wish to use in a level.

As a Level Reviewer though you should provide good suggestions, not ones that are misleading and would result in poor level design

Shadow_Flame · Postby **Shadow_Flame** » Fri Dec 15, 2017 6:28 pm

PixelPest wrote:
Shadow_Flame wrote:
PixelPest wrote: A level doesn't need to have a gimmick, and in most cases it definitely doesn't need more than one
This question was put there as a suggestion, I'm not saying that the level designer must use gimmicks. And it's up to anyone individually how many gimmicks (if any) they wish to use in a level.
As a Level Reviewer though you should provide good suggestions, not ones that are misleading and would result in poor level design

And what makes you think that a gimmick would result in poor level design? I didn't even mention any examples of gimmicks...

PixelPest · Postby **PixelPest** » Fri Dec 15, 2017 6:47 pm

Shadow_Flame wrote:
PixelPest wrote:
Shadow_Flame wrote: This question was put there as a suggestion, I'm not saying that the level designer must use gimmicks. And it's up to anyone individually how many gimmicks (if any) they wish to use in a level.
As a Level Reviewer though you should provide good suggestions, not ones that are misleading and would result in poor level design
And what makes you think that a gimmick would result in poor level design? I didn't even mention any examples of gimmicks...

I never said that. I was specifically referring to your mentioning of "a few clever gimmicks" which would imply smashing three or more gimmicks into a level

Radiance · Postby **Radiance** » Fri Dec 15, 2017 6:56 pm

PixelPest wrote: I never said that. I was specifically referring to your mentioning of "a few clever gimmicks" which would imply smashing three or more gimmicks into a level

Scorch n Torch has several gimmicks and it turned out pretty good. As long as the creator uses gimmicks that complements each other, this "few clever gimmicks" isn't a problem.
https://youtu.be/gSn5ycZ2SIQ

Shadow_Flame · Postby **Shadow_Flame** » Fri Dec 15, 2017 7:04 pm

PixelPest wrote:
Shadow_Flame wrote:
PixelPest wrote: As a Level Reviewer though you should provide good suggestions, not ones that are misleading and would result in poor level design
And what makes you think that a gimmick would result in poor level design? I didn't even mention any examples of gimmicks...
I never said that. I was specifically referring to your mentioning of "a few clever gimmicks" which would imply smashing three or more gimmicks into a level

Well, I personally would never put more than 2 gimmicks in a level. It also really depends on the nature of the gimmick itself so it's hard to be specific on that and this is where creativity would play a large role.

PixelPest · Postby **PixelPest** » Fri Dec 15, 2017 7:31 pm

Mr Briney wrote:
PixelPest wrote: I never said that. I was specifically referring to your mentioning of "a few clever gimmicks" which would imply smashing three or more gimmicks into a level
Scorch n Torch has several gimmicks and it turned out pretty good. As long as the creator uses gimmicks that complements each other, this "few clever gimmicks" isn't a problem.
https://youtu.be/gSn5ycZ2SIQ

I agree, though in general usually in a shorter level this would turn out to be an absolute mess if you tried to implement a significant number of gimmicks, especially if they don't compliment each other which I've seen in multiple SMBX levels in the past. Furthermore there are many issues when balancing a larger number of gimmicks that is sometimes overlooked, so usually it's better to consider sticking with a single idea that can be built off of, especially in a relatively simple level like this one