Level Contest 8: DarkMatt Plays Your Levels and Insults You.

[Imaynotbehere4long]

#48:
Sharp Objects Are Usually Deadly
Person to Blame: Imaynotbehere4long
Difficulty: IT'S/BOSHY/TIME!

First, bossedit8, now you; why is my level compared to IWBTG (in your case, a fan-made IWBTG game)? If this were truly my level's inspiration, there would be unmarked spikes in my level that would launch themselves at you unexpectedly (not necessarily in the direction they're pointing), and they would actually kill you.

Also, your review of my level is basically a simplified version of what all of the other judges said about my level. You disappointed me.

Spoiler: show

Oh, don't tell me you didn't know that was going to happen...

[DarkMatt]

It's called a generalization, asshat. Don't be so picky.

And that's still stupid. Just because it's a gameplay mechanic doesn't mean you can't change it to not have that happen.

[Kyo]

Also, your review of my level is basically a simplified version of what all of the other judges said about my level. You disappointed me.

Well, the judges did have identical issues with your level, but I wouldn't say he can't point out his issues with your level, even if he has identical issues. He's uttering his opinion, in a somewhat funny (if it hits your humor) way. You shouldn't take his reviews all that serious. I think his first aim isn't to help you improve your levels, but to entertain the readers.

And that's still stupid. Just because it's a gameplay mechanic doesn't mean you can't change it to not have that happen.

If you are talking about holding an object next to the bomb and let it explode, then I don't get how you'd change that. npcblock=0 might work, but if you were talking about the bomb issue then that's kinda dumb.

[Bomber57]

#48:
Sharp Objects Are Usually Deadly
Person to Blame: Imaynotbehere4long
Difficulty: IT'S/BOSHY/TIME!

First, bossedit8, now you; why is my level compared to IWBTG (in your case, a fan-made IWBTG game)? If this were truly my level's inspiration, there would be unmarked spikes in my level that would launch themselves at you unexpectedly (not necessarily in the direction they're pointing), and they would actually kill you.

Also, your review of my level is basically a simplified version of what all of the other judges said about my level. You disappointed me.

Spoiler: show

Oh, don't tell me you didn't know that was going to happen...

Butthurt much?

[DarkMatt]

If you are talking about holding an object next to the bomb and let it explode, then I don't get how you'd change that. npcblock=0 might work, but if you were talking about the bomb issue then that's kinda dumb.

Not what I meant.

Just use regular bombs.

[Kyo]

Well, it's SMB2, so I'd rather have SMB2-loyal mechanics in it, but k, if you say so.

[DarkMatt]

I'd rather just not have to use bombs period in that level,

but it's more productive and better advice to change something instead of tear it out.

[Quill]

how bad do you have to be at smbx to get stuck on an automatic level?

Did you have donthurtme enabled or something

I actually did get stuck a couple times at that spot. It worked eventually though.

[Imaynotbehere4long]

I wouldn't say he can't point out his issues with your level, even if he has identical issues. He's uttering his opinion, in a somewhat funny (if it hits your humor) way.

I agree with the first statement, but not necessarily the second, as I'll explain:

Butthurt much?

No, I was just disappointed that DarkMatt basically told me what I already knew rather than type something relatively funny, like, say, most of his other reviews. All of that buildup, and his review of my level is one of the more serious ones.

Oh, and what the fuck is with one of the tracks for this level? SMBX insists it's a video instead of an MP3. Yeah, I do not fucking know either.

I actually encountered this error when I was making a level, and it happens if there is a second decimal in the name of the file (i.e. "Super Mario Galaxy 2.5 music Extended.mp3").

[DarkMatt]

OUT OF HIATUS.
Hi I was one of the people affected by what's going on right now. That and work has been causing me to fall behind, but now that I can finally get on to this forum, I can start posting updates again.

I still have a while to go so you'll have to be patient. But on the other hand, you have extra time to submit your votes for that poll.

stuff

I don't recall ever living up to anyone's expectations. Especially yours, dillweed.

And oh, you'd think I would catch something like that. Guess I was too baffled to notice.

[silent_]

Is it okay if I do something like this, but with the levels in the Levels section?

I'll give you credit in the thread and stuff

[DarkMatt]

Knock yourself out.

Oh, also, a heads up on prizes: I'll give out the PMs to the lucky winners once this thread is over. But, if Emral already has a game on steam in mind, then he can pm me.

(Hint: It's not over once I post 5th tier.)

[Neovolnutt]

Hey, will you be doing this next contest too? This is hilarious and I'd love to see more of it.

[DarkMatt]

Maybe.

What's the next contest?

[Neovolnutt]

I'm having an unusually difficult time coming up with a response to that.
So... Level Contest 9, I guess?

[DarkMatt]

You don't think this through do you?

[Neovolnutt]

It's 1am over here, I can't think very clearly.

[DarkMatt]

Message of the Day:
-And here's the rest of the crop. Will DarkMatt be amazed? Will he ever give a score higher than a 4? Is he going to continue to wonder why the fuck people think this is good game design? Will he ever be free from the cesspit that is mario fangames?

#24:

Spoiler: show

Fancy Skies
Person to Blame: deadfish
Difficulty: 2/5

Gameplay: 3/5
Aesthetics: 3/5
wellokaythen Bonus: 4/5

FINAL SCORE: 3.33

DarkMatt sez:The problem with a level being there and not like, standing for anything, is that when I'm done playing it and going over it a couple times, I STILL don't know what the hell I can say about it. Maybe the fish trick, maybe the shoddy ground graphics, maybe the mouser clusterfuck at the end, maybe the lolzsofanny text. It all combines into, "Well, this is a thing."

#23:

Spoiler: show

NES Dungeon
Person to Blame: Vanishing Bulborb
Difficulty: 3/GUFF

Gameplay: 3/5
Aesthetics: 2/5
Tries to Force 2D Perspective Bonus: 2/5

FINAL SCORE: 2.33

DarkMatt sez:Literally just a flashy trick to cover up a blase level. It doesn't work, especially considering the room in that screenshot and ANIMATING ROPES that you'd think would NOT be something you can kill and drop the platform it's holding BUT IT IS. Does the level tell you this? No. The level doesn't tell you shit. I usually get tired of levels screaming "WATCH OUT FOR HAZARDS" but this is a rare instance where I am complaining about lack of knowledge. And that's just the level. This is the most lazy graphics editing I have seen. The background is resized in a very shitty way, and the designer just assumes Zelda graphics work now because there's lines around the edges to denote ground. Art is not that easily bendable.

#22:

Spoiler: show

Steins;Steppe
Person to Blame: Gintoki
Difficulty: 1/zzzzzz

Gameplay: 2/5
Aesthetics: 4/5
Yawning Music Bonus: 2/5

FINAL SCORE: 2.66

DarkMatt sez:It's a bad thing when I can take an editor screenshot of your level and confidently say, "This is what you're going through. No, the level doesn't do much else besides this. Yes, this does look like the most basic shit to go through."

#21:

Spoiler: show

Burning Hot Red Sperm Volcanic Core of Fiery Cum MY DICK
Person to Blame: ElTipsa
Difficulty: 4/5

Gameplay: 4/5
Aesthetics: 4/5
Elbow Room Bonus: 4/5

FINAL SCORE: 4

DarkMatt sez:Neat gimmicks and a nice setting to go through. There are a couple of questionable graphical decisions (longsprings) and design choices (that screenshot) but this is overall a very solid level. Wait no, it's magma, it's a very flowing level.

#20:

Spoiler: show

Western Wild Mountain
Person to Blame: TNTtimelord
Difficulty: 3/5

Gameplay: 4/5
Aesthetics: 4/5
Unwinnable Boss Bonus: 2/5

FINAL SCORE: 3.33

DarkMatt sez:Was almost going to give this a 4 or maybe higher until I met the boss. Okay, rule #whatever of game design, you do not expect the player to be in a state suitable for your challenge and leave him to achieve and preserve that state on his own less he be fucked. What the hell, 20th place?

OH AND ANOTHER THING, WHY DIDN'T ANY OF YOU JUDGES DOCK POINTS FOR THIS? IS THIS JUST LIKE, NOT A BIG PROBLEM DO ALL WE GOTTA DO IS MAKE SHINY GRAPHICS AND YOU'LL EAT IT UP?

#19:

Spoiler: show

Red vs. Blue
Person to Blame: Willhart
Difficulty: 2/5

Gameplay: 4/5
Aesthetics: 4/5
Afraid of Cliffs Bonus: 4/5

FINAL SCORE: 4

DarkMatt sez:The critical problem with this level is the propellor block, (jetpack) which you can use in conjunction with the level's trick to just clear whatever heights you could ever want, skipping large chunks of level. I'm rather split on whether to call it a problem or a good bug, but either way, I'm disappointed you had to resort to propellor block just to continue your level. In a way, it's like you threw your neat gimmick aside--which was very neat--and that's a shame. (That and this was short but that's what happens when you try to brute force new features.) No, really, the gimmick follows a rigid set of rules and does not present a level which requires knowing how it works less you die like a bitch. It's a fantastic way to make a level both special and forgiving. As for the graphics, I guess I can like minimalist graphics, but it took a bit of growing on to, so I would not say this is the perfect art.

#18:

Spoiler: show

Neon Flare
Person to Blame: Epoch
Difficulty: 2/wake me up when this shit is over

Gameplay: 3/5
Aesthetics: 5/5
Autoscroller Bonus: 2/5

FINAL SCORE: 3.33

DarkMatt sez:You know for once I would like someone who does a really neat theme AND has an understanding of interesting gameplay, not a fucking minute of the most boring autoscroller. IS THAT TOO HARD TO ASK FOR? ARE ALL OF YOU THAT TERRIBLE?

#17:

Spoiler: show

Motobugs Field
Person to Blame: litchh
Difficulty: 2/URTOOSLOW (not a joke)

Gameplay: 4/5
Aesthetics: 5/5
Cannot Make Loop-de-Loops Bonus: 3/5

FINAL SCORE: 4

DarkMatt sez:On one hand, the graphics are highly impressive, like, incredibly so. Puts people like me to shame impressive. On the other, OOP DEAD END GOTTA GO BACK ANDPLATFORM OVER IT. That was a kick in the pants of an otherwise great level. That and a couple other WHOOPSes in level design.

#16:

Spoiler: show

Mario Zone
Person to Blame: Valtteri THE GUY WHO RUNS THIS CONTEST
Difficulty: 3/5

Gameplay: 4/5
Aesthetics: 4/5
Super Gameboy Bonus: 3/5

FINAL SCORE: 3.66

DarkMatt sez:This level does something a lot of levels don't and it actually took its enemies and fleshed them out, that is, used them in more than one instance and developed length using consistent building blocks. This level also has questionable directions in graphics and palette and you should mess around with the colors some more. Also doodle on the screen. That works too.

#15:

Spoiler: show

Forgotten Forest
Person to Blame: Quill
Difficulty: 1/5

Gameplay: 4/5
Aesthetics: 5/5
Lower Path Bonus: 3/5

FINAL SCORE: 4

DarkMatt sez:I'm sitting here wondering why the hell you would ever go down in this level. If it was a lower path because you fucked up on the higher path then that'd work well, but it's not. Enemies are boring and the ground is pretty ground and not detailed ground. But as much shit I give this level's aesthetics it is really good and it does deserve a 5. Also, elevator. I would like it more if A: The enemies ended at that point, and B: your ruins graphics wasn't just a brick and pillars.

#14:

Spoiler: show

Exploration in Interior of the Strange Mammal Beached
Person to Blame: Shinbison-Kof
Difficulty: explosive/diarrhea

Gameplay: ?/5
Aesthetics: ?/5
How Did You Crash My Game Bonus: Overkill/5

FINAL SCORE: uhhhhh?

DarkMatt sez:I cannot play this on the account of my SMBX exploding when I try to load it. What the hell kind of SMBX do you guys use, seriously?

BUT, I can load it in PGE, so I'll just give it a quick look. Looks like something I would give a 4 or so to. Next.

#13:

Spoiler: show

Final Fury Fortress
Person to Blame: bossedit8
Difficulty: 2/5

Gameplay: 4/5
Aesthetics: 4/5
No Stress Bonus: 3/5

FINAL SCORE: 3.66

DarkMatt sez:Just because you made almost everything immune to fire and ice doesn't mean your level's magically harder. In fact, if anything, that is quite the artificial difficulty. Also why is there over 2 dozen powerups in your level? Do you expect your player to get hit a lot in this level, because this isn't that hard. Other than those two sticklers this was okay. Bosses weren't half bad, either.

#12:

Spoiler: show

Steins;Underwater
Person to Blame: Mudkip
Difficulty: 2/5

Gameplay: 3/5
Aesthetics: 5/5
Aquatic Ambience Bonus: 5/5

FINAL SCORE: 4.33

DarkMatt sez:Very extreme (to the point where I got an out of memory error trying to close this level and open another one) graphical makeovers does tend to get you up there. This did everything it could to paint a theme and it definitely shows. It's just too bad the level itself was a bit neglected: mildly arbitrary switch backtracking because a wall demands it, how could you not sync your moving layers, and this can take anywhere between a couple minutes to several if you know where to go. But I do enjoy playing this level. Now if only it did not choke the memory out of my SMBX.

#11:

Spoiler: show

5-3 Freezing Frozen
Person to Blame: AirShip
Difficulty: 3/5

Gameplay: 5/5
Aesthetics: 4/5
Omochao Bonus: 3/5

FINAL SCORE: 4

DarkMatt sez:Oh hey, something like SMB3 airship fires. Oh hey, they're mostly used to slow the level down. Also, this level has a whopping 3 powerups! 1 of them's a secret! Also 11th place and I can still kill myself after collecting the star. Come the fuck on guys.

#10:

Spoiler: show

Subcon Snowland
Person to Blame: zlakerboy357
Difficulty: 2/5

Gameplay: 3/5
Aesthetics: 4/5
Playtesting Bonus: 2/5

FINAL SCORE: 3

DarkMatt sez:You'd think that since it went out of its way to SMB2 everything and use a bunch of different NPCs it would be gold, until you realize everything is fire-and-forget, with two exceptions: the gimmicks after the midway point. Also this level is A: horribad with trying to emulate subcon without busting the graphics bank, and B: contaminated with a couple fun bugs, including wrong warp direction and bizarre collision. Oh and C: Really stupid switch block puzzle. Hey it's not better just because you're going around in loops. It's still backtracking. Also why pots for fucking everything?

#9:

Spoiler: show

Spike Sanctuary
Person to Blame: Frozen Rex
Difficulty: 3/5

Gameplay: 3/5
Aesthetics: 4/5
Camouflage Bonus: 3/5

FINAL SCORE: 3.66

DarkMatt sez:Like the level before it and the level twice before that it has a lot of fancy pants NPCs. Unlike the those levels it does remember some of them, but not all of them. Problems include: Oh hey, grey pipe means trasnfer items. Oop, can't take it through the next pipe. World's most slowass lava. Camouflaged spikes. Mashing ground styles together and calling it a working theme. (It's pretty wonky.) There is one thing about this level though, and that it's an okay challenge. Too bad it does some really dumb crap.

Also THERE IS A SONIC CD 2011 REMAKE WHY DID YOU NOT USE THE MUSIC FROM THAT

[TLtimelord]

You are quite possibly the best person that has ever lived.

Oh, I can understand why you'd think my boss is impossible. It's so fucking flawed, I know. I should have scrapped it when I had the chance and I probably would have gone up a couple places.

[Bomber57]

Great reviews as always! Can't wait to see the one for my level.