SMBX8TerrariaFan's Levels!

[SMBX8TerrariaFan]

Here's where I'll be posting my levels. Simple enough.
Though my levels are mediocre, I know that soon enough I'll improve my levels and as I improve my levels, the more wacky and maybe "interesting" levels I may come up with.

1. A normal level

Spoiler: show

This level is basically the first level that I made in SMBX that's not a joke. I aimed to be very basic in designing this level and I consider it very challenging to newbies with the mechanics of SMBX.
Though I consider that this level is not hard I've seen some of my acquaintances have a really hard time at it.
In a sense I wanted to make a level that reminded me of how hard Super Mario Bros. 1 was for me when I was young and caused me to die and reset multiple times.
Just know that there's a warning.

I also didn't use any custom graphics here and I don't really want to consider using them until I'm confident that I've made pretty good levels.


Download the level:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xNK__ ... fKs88MsxaN

[Walder]

Greetings, SMBX8TerrariaFan! I've taken it upon myself to give feedback upon your level, "A normal level".

First off, the level seemingly starts in a 1-1 fashion, goombas, pipes, goombas between pipes; and after you get past the ordeal you get a little bit of...

-Nothing, sadly most areas are painfully empty, with a minimal sign of life activity coming out every once in a while. The level is painfully linear, and that line is very bland, in every wise. Whilst the challenge increases over the course of the level with the addition of piranha plants and koopas, this is very slight and it still feels like I am exploring a ghost town; the lack of NPCs also apply to coins, due to the fact that there isn't any short sidepaths or challenging extra jumps, the coins are very rare; and when they appear it's either coins that are mandatory to take through jumps that you are required to perform, or coins inside blocks that you take while nothing else really happpens on screen.

-There is actually one exclusion to the lack of sidepaths, which is an area that asks for a "Password" which I frankly couldn't find out and had to abandon the area, all in all it was a rather bizarre segment and I wonder if it really had to exist or not.

- This wouldn't apply to the underground section, if it was accessible or even existed in the first place; what was the point of the pipe that just spits you back once you enter it?

-I recommend polishing the first section in which it has more varied challenges ( one good example of this would be adding a goomba or two to the otherwise empty sky bridge ) and adding a few distracting side paths to reward the player with coins or even a 1-up if they are up to the challenge. While letting the player take a breath every once in a while is a good idea , it should usually be kept brief especially if the level is easy anyways, so polishing up the empty areas like the bridge I mentioned above with even minimal challenges would liven things up quite a lot.

-Another problem I had with the first section was that it was really long, like really long. This is even more painful as you wander the barren, devoid of life lands and begin questioning whether you are going insane or not, as it just doesn't stop going right.

Once you finally reach the Castle at the end of the section you get some dialogue telling you that the world is messed up, I thought that the level would began corrupting but I was astonished when I found out that it became Cat Mario-fied instead, before we delve into this I'd like to mention that there are 3 free 1-ups near the proximity of the checkpoint. Free 1-ups feel rather cheap, and as I mentioned above putting a little challenge into getting them would feel way more rewarding and fun.

Now, once section 2 things get a little cooked up as endless pits began to loosen up and Piranha Plants infest more and more pipes, but the blocks that were visible... go invisible!

-While I appreciate that you included a gimmick, It wasn't really fun and frankly I died quite a lot by hitting an invisible block and then falling to my doom. Hence, Cat Mario begins.

Another major problem with the second section is that while some things changed it really is just a backtrack to the beginning of the level, which is sadly, still just as bland even with the extra challenge of the invisible blocks of doom and the piranha plants.

-I think instead of redoing section 1 with slight differences, doing an entirely different section with slight resemblances would be way better, and provide opportunity to add new elements into the game.


Once you return to the beginning spot you have a rather anticlimactic moment in which Mario grasps the legendary orb and the tiles return to normal, however the anticlimacticity isn't to be blamed on just the ending itself, but the whole level, as it just fell short on entertainment and creativity.

You may have noticed that I haven't commented on the graphics of the level, it would be an awfully elitist attitude to just bash the level because it does not use custom graphics, but that does not mean it deserves any kudos for not doing so either.

-The level just hasn't really had any unique look into it, which is boring, but it didn't really affect anything considering that the level itself wasn't any more unique.

As for a way to fix this, I think improving the level structure overall would not just increase the challenge and entertainment, but the aesthetic as well.

Overall while I certainly don't believe that you are uncreative, I felt that you haven't put much creativity into the level; I think adding a few gimmicks and following a screen-to-screen mindsetset, which is putting thought not just into the general level, but into individual screens as well would help tremendously into your overall design.

I'm happy to see that you are eager to improve your levels, I am an improving creator myself and I hope that you are as happy to get feedback as I do, looking forward to see how your next level turns out!

[SMBX8TerrariaFan]

The feedback is very much appreciated. Thank you for your review and this really opens my eyes towards the level I'm supposedly biased to. And that's the other reason why I wanted to post this level in the first place. I wanted to see what's wrong with my level. I think it's the only way for me to tweak it in a better way.
Also sorry for the gigantic wall of text. I figured I had to give my thoughts on your criticism

Greetings, SMBX8TerrariaFan! I've taken it upon myself to give feedback upon your level, "A normal level".

First off, the level seemingly starts in a 1-1 fashion, goombas, pipes, goombas between pipes; and after you get past the ordeal you get a little bit of...

-Nothing, sadly most areas are painfull empty, with a minimal sign of life activity coming out every once in a while. The level is painfully linear, and that line is very bland, in every wise. Whilst the challenge increases over the course of the level with the addition of piranha plants and koopas, this is very slight and it still feels like I am exploring a ghost town; the lack of NPCs also apply to coins, due to the fact that there isn't any short sidepaths or challenging extra jumps, the coins are very rare; and when they appear it's either coins that are mandatory to take through jumps that you are required to perform, or coins inside blocks that you take while nothing else really happpens on screen.

Oh. Never thought that it was that empty in terms of npcs. While I intended it to be linear, I didn't think it's empty. I'll look unto it next time I test it.
As for the coins, yeah, I see your point in the lack of coins. I was in the mindset that "coins are guides" instead of them being a challenge or a form of catharsis. Next time I'll definitely take them into consideration in making a level.

-There is actually one exclusion to the lack of sidepaths, which is an area that asks for a "Password" which I frankly couldn't find out and had to abandon the area, all in all it was a rather bizarre segment and I wonder if it really had to exist or not.

- This wouldn't apply to the underground section, if it was accessible or even existed in the first place; what was the point of the pipe that just spits you back once you enter it?

Hmm... As for the password, you actually learn it through the right toad at the castle though it's not that easy to decode: 1001000101. He actually gives you a hint on true and false
With that the purpose of the password pipe is to give the player an easier time to go to the second half of the level(and gives a shortcut at the second half as a bonus). The password "system" I made reminded me of the games that use it as a save feature back then.

As for the pipe that doesn't take you underground, it's a joke. I'm not good at making jokes sorry...

-I recommend polishing the first section in which it has more varied challenges ( one good example of this would be adding a goomba or two to the otherwise empty sky bridge ) and adding a few distracting side paths to reward the player with coins or even a 1-up if they are up to the challenge. While letting the player take a breath every once in a while is a good idea , it should usually be kept brief especially if the level is easy anyways, so polishing up the empty areas like the bridge I mentioned above with even minimal challenges would liven things up quite a lot.

Hmm... Perhaps that is a good thing to consider. But then when I first made the level, I intended it to be a one path platformer challenge with basically no sidepaths. Maybe I'll change that.

-Another problem I had with the first section was that it was really long, like really long. This is even more painful as you wander the barren, devoid of life lands and begin questioning whether you are going insane or not, as it just doesn't stop going right.

It is indeed long and It reflects how I perceived Super Mario Bros. 1 when I was a kid. It is long and pretty tough for beginners. And starting at the beginning is the punishment. Though I didn't truly wanted it to be like that. That's why the password is there as a multipoint in a way( I won't be using LunaLua until Beta 4 probably so...)

Once you finally reach the Castle at the end of the section you get some dialogue telling you that the world is messed up, I thought that the level would began corrupting but I was astonished when I found out that it became Cat Mario-fied instead, before we delve into this I'd like to mention that there are 3 free 1-ups near the proximity of the checkpoint. Free 1-ups feel rather cheap, and as I mentioned above putting a little challenge into getting them would feel way more rewarding and fun.

The three one ups "kinda" warn you that you'll die many times. But I admit that it's kinda cheap as I remembered the level in my head. I'll take that to consideration.

Now, once section 2 things get a little cooked up as endless pits began to loosen up and Piranha Plants infest more and more pipes, but the blocks that were visible... go invisible!

Aaand... The jumpy toad warns you about that... Though to be honest. I should've really made the difficulty on the invisible blocks steadily increase

-While I appreciate that you included a gimmick, It wasn't really fun and frankly I died quite a lot by hitting an invisible block and then falling to my doom. Hence, Cat Mario begins.

Another major problem with the second section is that while some things changed it really is just a backtrack to the beginning of the level, which is sadly, still just as bland even with the extra challenge of the invisible blocks of doom and the piranha plants.

It is indeed a backtrack to the beginning. The not-so-great reason for this is that I almost never see a whole level that makes you go from right to left

-I think instead of redoing section 1 with slight differences, doing an entirely different section with slight resemblances would be way better, and provide opportunity to add new elements into the game.


Once you return to the beginning spot you have a rather anticlimactic moment in which Mario grasps the legendary orb and the tiles return to normal, however the anticlimacticity isn't to be blamed on just the ending itself, but the whole level, as it just fell short on entertainment and creativity.

You may have noticed that I haven't commented on the graphics of the level, it would be an awfully elitist attitude to just bash the level because it does not use custom graphics, but that does not mean it deserves any kudos for not doing so either.

As I played and finished the level back then, towards the end it felt climactic to me(because of the penalty of death). But now I see that that's not really the case anymore as your point earlier about the emptiness of the level really made me realize that. Now's the time where I actually agree as to why the second half didn't feel as fun as the first because... It was rushed. Section 1 is probably the most fun because I was mostly experimenting with Mario's jumping and running capabilities.

Hmm... Though it really fell short in creativity in your opinion, I've honestly learned alot of how the characters in smbx move in making this level. And my shabby takes on creativity is still ideas that I want to implement albeit in a more polished manner. Also I don't intend to use custom graphics until I've experimented enough and think that I could actually make a pretty decent level without custom graphics.

-The level just hasn't really had any unique look into it, which is boring, but it didn't really affect anything considering that the level itself wasn't any more unique.

As for a way to fix this, I think improving the level structure overall would not just increase the challenge and entertainment, but the aesthetic as well.

Overall while I certainly don't believe that you are uncreative, I felt that you haven't put much creativity into the level; I think adding a few gimmicks and following a screen-to-screen mindsetset, which is putting thought not just into the general level, but into individual screens as well would help tremendously into your overall design.

I'm happy to see that you are eager to improve your levels, I am an improving creator myself and I hope that you are as happy to get feedback as I do, looking forward to see how your next level turns out!

Though while I "thought" I was creative in making the level, I can see why the level is so bland to most.
Well, it's pretty much because of the experimentations I did with movements, implementing a "save" system and a "level that is pretty fun to play even if you start it from right to left"
I pretty much failed in making the level entertaining and fun but I probably learned alot on level design than from making an extremely large scope level.

Thanks again. I once thought no one's gonna review my level. Though it is painful to see my level get a Boring title it's pretty ok because I kinda expected that.

[Walder]

The feedback is very much appreciated. Thank you for your review and this really opens my eyes towards the level I'm supposedly biased to. And that's the other reason why I wanted to post this level in the first place. I wanted to see what's wrong with my level. I think it's the only way for me to tweak it in a better way.
Also sorry for the gigantic wall of text. I figured I had to give my thoughts on your criticism

Greetings, SMBX8TerrariaFan! I've taken it upon myself to give feedback upon your level, "A normal level".

First off, the level seemingly starts in a 1-1 fashion, goombas, pipes, goombas between pipes; and after you get past the ordeal you get a little bit of...

-Nothing, sadly most areas are painfull empty, with a minimal sign of life activity coming out every once in a while. The level is painfully linear, and that line is very bland, in every wise. Whilst the challenge increases over the course of the level with the addition of piranha plants and koopas, this is very slight and it still feels like I am exploring a ghost town; the lack of NPCs also apply to coins, due to the fact that there isn't any short sidepaths or challenging extra jumps, the coins are very rare; and when they appear it's either coins that are mandatory to take through jumps that you are required to perform, or coins inside blocks that you take while nothing else really happpens on screen.

Oh. Never thought that it was that empty in terms of npcs. While I intended it to be linear, I didn't think it's empty. I'll look unto it next time I test it.
As for the coins, yeah, I see your point in the lack of coins. I was in the mindset that "coins are guides" instead of them being a challenge or a form of catharsis. Next time I'll definitely take them into consideration in making a level.

-There is actually one exclusion to the lack of sidepaths, which is an area that asks for a "Password" which I frankly couldn't find out and had to abandon the area, all in all it was a rather bizarre segment and I wonder if it really had to exist or not.

- This wouldn't apply to the underground section, if it was accessible or even existed in the first place; what was the point of the pipe that just spits you back once you enter it?

Hmm... As for the password, you actually learn it through the right toad at the castle though it's not that easy to decode: 1001000101. He actually gives you a hint on true and false
With that the purpose of the password pipe is to give the player an easier time to go to the second half of the level(and gives a shortcut at the second half as a bonus). The password "system" I made reminded me of the games that use it as a save feature back then.

As for the pipe that doesn't take you underground, it's a joke. I'm not good at making jokes sorry...

-I recommend polishing the first section in which it has more varied challenges ( one good example of this would be adding a goomba or two to the otherwise empty sky bridge ) and adding a few distracting side paths to reward the player with coins or even a 1-up if they are up to the challenge. While letting the player take a breath every once in a while is a good idea , it should usually be kept brief especially if the level is easy anyways, so polishing up the empty areas like the bridge I mentioned above with even minimal challenges would liven things up quite a lot.

Hmm... Perhaps that is a good thing to consider. But then when I first made the level, I intended it to be a one path platformer challenge with basically no sidepaths. Maybe I'll change that.

-Another problem I had with the first section was that it was really long, like really long. This is even more painful as you wander the barren, devoid of life lands and begin questioning whether you are going insane or not, as it just doesn't stop going right.

It is indeed long and It reflects how I perceived Super Mario Bros. 1 when I was a kid. It is long and pretty tough for beginners. And starting at the beginning is the punishment. Though I didn't truly wanted it to be like that. That's why the password is there as a multipoint in a way( I won't be using LunaLua until Beta 4 probably so...)

Once you finally reach the Castle at the end of the section you get some dialogue telling you that the world is messed up, I thought that the level would began corrupting but I was astonished when I found out that it became Cat Mario-fied instead, before we delve into this I'd like to mention that there are 3 free 1-ups near the proximity of the checkpoint. Free 1-ups feel rather cheap, and as I mentioned above putting a little challenge into getting them would feel way more rewarding and fun.

The three one ups "kinda" warn you that you'll die many times. But I admit that it's kinda cheap as I remembered the level in my head. I'll take that to consideration.

Now, once section 2 things get a little cooked up as endless pits began to loosen up and Piranha Plants infest more and more pipes, but the blocks that were visible... go invisible!

Aaand... The jumpy toad warns you about that... Though to be honest. I should've really made the difficulty on the invisible blocks steadily increase

-While I appreciate that you included a gimmick, It wasn't really fun and frankly I died quite a lot by hitting an invisible block and then falling to my doom. Hence, Cat Mario begins.

Another major problem with the second section is that while some things changed it really is just a backtrack to the beginning of the level, which is sadly, still just as bland even with the extra challenge of the invisible blocks of doom and the piranha plants.

It is indeed a backtrack to the beginning. The not-so-great reason for this is that I almost never see a whole level that makes you go from right to left

-I think instead of redoing section 1 with slight differences, doing an entirely different section with slight resemblances would be way better, and provide opportunity to add new elements into the game.


Once you return to the beginning spot you have a rather anticlimactic moment in which Mario grasps the legendary orb and the tiles return to normal, however the anticlimacticity isn't to be blamed on just the ending itself, but the whole level, as it just fell short on entertainment and creativity.

You may have noticed that I haven't commented on the graphics of the level, it would be an awfully elitist attitude to just bash the level because it does not use custom graphics, but that does not mean it deserves any kudos for not doing so either.

As I played and finished the level back then, towards the end it felt climactic to me(because of the penalty of death). But now I see that that's not really the case anymore as your point earlier about the emptiness of the level really made me realize that. Now's the time where I actually agree as to why the second half didn't feel as fun as the first because... It was rushed. Section 1 is probably the most fun because I was mostly experimenting with Mario's jumping and running capabilities.

Hmm... Though it really fell short in creativity in your opinion, I've honestly learned alot of how the characters in smbx move in making this level. And my shabby takes on creativity is still ideas that I want to implement albeit in a more polished manner. Also I don't intend to use custom graphics until I've experimented enough and think that I could actually make a pretty decent level without custom graphics.

-The level just hasn't really had any unique look into it, which is boring, but it didn't really affect anything considering that the level itself wasn't any more unique.

As for a way to fix this, I think improving the level structure overall would not just increase the challenge and entertainment, but the aesthetic as well.

Overall while I certainly don't believe that you are uncreative, I felt that you haven't put much creativity into the level; I think adding a few gimmicks and following a screen-to-screen mindsetset, which is putting thought not just into the general level, but into individual screens as well would help tremendously into your overall design.

I'm happy to see that you are eager to improve your levels, I am an improving creator myself and I hope that you are as happy to get feedback as I do, looking forward to see how your next level turns out!

Though while I "thought" I was creative in making the level, I can see why the level is so bland to most.
Well, it's pretty much because of the experimentations I did with movements, implementing a "save" system and a "level that is pretty fun to play even if you start it from right to left"
I pretty much failed in making the level entertaining and fun but I probably learned alot on level design than from making an extremely large scope level.

Thanks again. I once thought no one's gonna review my level. Though it is painful to see my level get a Boring title it's pretty ok because I kinda expected that.

You're welcome! While the level itself admittedly wasn't fun, I surely enjoyed giving feedback on it, and I'm delighted to hear that you appreciate it!

I see the point of the password area now that you pointed put, but it falls out of purpose as once you learn it's answer in the castle you get a checkpoint flag anyways; and the area itself just felt very bizarre, perhaps instead of a whole area you could have hidden a warp on the floor of a specific area or so and instead make the toad mention that? Could work better for sure!

While it's true that the Toad warns you, it's really hard for the player to memorise the blocks, and invisible block pit of deaths are just too cruel of a punishment for that.

In general I again don't believe that you are uncreative, and I should probably mention that no one starts from the top; I'm glad to hear that the creation of the level made you realize many things about SMBX and l'm looking forward to see how your next level is!

[SMBX8TerrariaFan]

Update: 06/30/18
Currently I'm testing and experimenting more on the player movement and physics of smbx. And looking at good levels of great episodes like Airship Attack. In turn I will not be able to post some levels until I've learned and experimented enough. And school just started so that's a thing.