Mario's Kingdom Adventure

[Emral]

Thanks!
What would a good difficulty curve be like? Start easy then get progressively harder, but by how much?
For example, would it be wise to make a level harder than the previous one, when they don't use the same gimmick? What about between worlds; should it be a completely smooth upwards curve or should there be spikes and dips of difficulty level?

And I may come back to this, possibly as a prequel episode.

Difficulty curves are tough to make from beginning to end. I recall watching an interview with miyamoto where he explained that the levels for SMB were made in random order and only arranged afterwards, along a difficulty curve. It's not always a straight line upwards, though! Having breather levels which are slightly easier after a slightly tougher than normal challenge helps give the player a bit of downtime between difficult segments. Generally speaking, a difficulty curve often takes the shape of a squiggly diagonal line, with peaks at the end of a level or world (and another peak in the middle, before a "midpoint") (midpoint harder to assume for worlds but you can think about one while planning).

[PixelPest]

Thanks!
What would a good difficulty curve be like? Start easy then get progressively harder, but by how much?
For example, would it be wise to make a level harder than the previous one, when they don't use the same gimmick? What about between worlds; should it be a completely smooth upwards curve or should there be spikes and dips of difficulty level?

And I may come back to this, possibly as a prequel episode.

You want a consistent difficulty curve, usually getting increasingly difficult, on average. Take a look at Nintendo's games. The levels get more and more difficult with World 1 being the easiest and the Star World being the hardest in SMW. It doesn't have to be a perfect progression and different players will find different levels easier or harder (for example I absolutely suck at underwater levels) but overall the curve should be noticeable, at least world-to-world and the levels should be grouped by their difficulty. As Enjl mentioned, you can have breather levels, but overall the trend should be towards increasing difficulty.

[Taycamgame]

So, for some reason, uploading the big Zip file kept failing, but when i put each world into seperate zip files, it worked. Probably my internet.
https://farlingayesuffolkschuk-my.share ... 5c2efe69eb
This should link to the Onedrive page with 5 zip files, you should download them all if you want to use the world map etc.
It would be nice to get a review of the episode overall, and mention some of the best and worst levels. World 1 levels are the shortest and easiest, World 4 isn't complete (you can play up to 4-Ghosthouse).
The map was never finished because I didn't know if I would have to move things around.
So yeah, enjoy as much as possible, give feedback, etc...

[Emral]

Reviews

WORLD 1
1-1
I think this level does a decent job at an early world level. Maybe not specifically as a 1-1, but it does a good job at being fun to play and introducing small elements that will be expanded upon later in the game. I really like the little switch that opens the bonus pipe. I thought "hm, how will I be able to reach the pipe in the sky?" and turned towards the switch, and then was rewarded with a fun bonus area. I think my only real problems here are with the beginning to the level. The first screen could've been elongated a bit to introduce screen scrolling, and have a small ledge so that the powerup can't fall offscreen to the left. I also think the ceiling at the start of the cave is a bit low, considering there are multiple goombas coming after the player as soon as they enter it. Perhaps a ledge to the left for the player to jump on out of harm's way would've been good.

1-2
Ah, so that's what you mean by short. The idea of hopping between blocks over a pit is nice and I wish the level would've done more with it, even if it was just doubling the length. It feels much shorter than 1-1, to the point where it's over before it really starts, and the secret exit seems a bit arbitrary.

1-3
I have a feeling levels are getting easier :p
This one's even shorter than the last, which I'm quite sad to see. 1-1 had the perfect length starting out, and I think you should aim for that length at minimum. Clever hiding spot for the first dragon coin, though! Sadly I have nothing else to say about this, as there's not really much more in it.

1-4
I think this was a pretty good level! I like how you introduced the banzai bills in an environment where the player is unlikely to take damage from them and how you created an association between coins and the bills. The sign was a bit unnecessary for the introduction I feel. Furthermore, I feel like some of the banzai bills arrived either too early or too late to be a threat in some scenarios, most notably the one with the dragon coin on the hill, which flies past before I even got a chance to go up there. If you're unsure about your enemy placement, test your level and move things around if necessary!

1-5
Pretty cool introduction to several concepts. I think there needed to be some fine-tuning, though. The starman feels a bit aimless. I replayed the level a bit and it seems tough to get a large kill combo with it. Also: it bonks the invisible 1-up block, which made me conflicted about which of the two to chase after. I also wish this level had some sort of bonus area, as there isn't much to watch out for beyond the starman.

1-a
You're incredibly generous with powerups, hah. I feel like the level itself was a bit shallow, though it started out promising. I don't know where in World 1 this level sits, but I'm hoping the length starts picking up a notch soon, as 1-4's length was basically the shortest length for making a level meaningful and memorable IMO.

1-b
I like the podoboo bridge. The boom boom boss is a good step up from a standard boom boom boss, but seeing as 1-a's boss had a more complex arena, I'm a bit conflicted. This was certainly easier than 1-a, not only due to all the powerups.

1-c
With all the powerups you provide, this seems superfluous.

With World 2 coming up, I will cease to comment on something that doesn't stand out given the trend of the episode so far. I'm going to assume that World 1 set me up for what to expect. My comments are bound to get more meta and about the episode itself as we go forth.

WORLD 2
2-1
Falls much in line of what I've seen so far.

2-2
I appreciate your return to hiding secrets, but quicksand is a very tedious obstacle. Not a big fan of the key in the unmarked hidden block either. Also, if you have to mark something with a blatant arrow, chances are it's not a good hiding spot. The key exit itself is weird because it's doubled up with a door exit. Dunno what to think of that.

2-3
Reminds me a bit of 1-1, but mixed with an one-screen gauntlet. So far the difficulty in this game has been steady.

2-4
Tough luck picking a parallaxing background for your thunderstorm. The lightning gets cut off! The SMW backgrounds are the easiest to replace IMO because they're all one piece and scroll nicely. I should also be honest and say that I have stopped checking powerup boxes at this point, because I got my fire flowers in world 1 and haven't gotten hit once in this game so far.

2-a
Pick-a-pipe is not a very good kind of puzzle. I prefer the section that came before. Was a bit surprised by the pokey at the start and a complete lack of enemies for a while afterwards.

2-b
One of the side paths is completely meaningless? Also, easiest boss ever.

2-c
1-c

2-d
I wish the level did more with fences and less with smashers and backtracking. Everything it does is over before it really got a chance to shine.

WORLD 3
3-1
Aside from the painfully slow autoscroll, I like where this level goes. Its 2nd half is pretty neat.

3-2
I like the aesthetic, but the autoscroll feels even slower this time! Also, lunalua crashed after the midpoint.

3-3
Very Return To Dinosaur Land-inspired! Not a particularly big fan of switch hunts personally, especially underwater. More fun than autoscroll at that speed, though.

3-4
Lays a good foundation, but could benefit from applying 4-step design rules outlined in the video i linked earlier. In that regard, it's very similar to the other levels I've played so far, but this is where I feel level length starts to stop being so short.

3-a
Be confident in yourself and speed up the autoscroll a notch.

3-airship
3-a comment

3-b
Lots of waiting with the boo circles. Boss can be spiked by holding the veggie in front of him. I would've liked more variation in obstacles.

3-c
Nice usage of saws, although they're not often dangerous and the setups themselves are rather simple. Not a big fan of the waterfalls in the boss room, though. Each level has its own interpretation of whether waterfalls should be swimable and it's jarring.

3-d
1-d

Overall I feel like this world was majorly let down by the autoscroll. It had some nice moments in between, though, where I could sense your improvement over time.

WORLD 4
4-1
Best level so far IMO. It's a bit messy and rough around the edges, but we're getting out of the world 1 length and difficulty. Graphically, I'm not a big fan of your choices. Everything is similarly bright and the trees in the background are disorienting. I had some trouble with that.

4-2
Would be cool if the slide actually worked and didn't have that dip in the middle where you have to gain more momentum manually. Door puzzle I don't really understand, although I did get the secret exit by sheer guesswork. No clue what's up with that, and I feel like trying to figure it out could bring players quite some frustration.

4-3
I've never seen something like the concept of this vertical section. Shame though that the poison was still super slow by the end. Would've been cool for it to be somewhat threatening near the end. I'm not a fan of secret exits being right at the end of levels, they feel kinda tacked on.

4-4
I wish the king bills had coin markers like the banzai bills earlier. Also, autoscroll speed as usual is a big motivation drainer.

4-a
Cool concept, I wish you did more with it.

4-b
Pick a door? Uh oh!! Also I've noticed a boo laser in a room with a switch which just kinda gets stuck. Remember to test your levels for enemy placement!

4-temple
I feel like I missed out on a lot of this level on my first playthrough. There seem to be many split paths which I couldn't access.
Also, weird place in the game for a character block row. Without actual filter too.

4-treehouse
Lots of enemies!

Overall, I think you definitely have improved throughout development of this project. It was nice seeing you try different things and some of the later levels actually get close to having an idea which they elaborate on. Keep it up!

[Taycamgame]

Thanks for the review!
I feel the worst things are the length of early levels, not expanding on gimmicks enough, not the best autoscroll speeds, aesthetics... Is that what you had in mind?

Oh, and if anyone wants, go ahead and improve some levels. I would like to see what could have been done with the levels, but never managed to do myself. It would be nice to see an example of how I could improve a level.

So yeah, length needs changing drastically. You basically finished half an episode in less than 2 hours, didn't think it would be that short.

@Enjl did you download the world map zip? There is a special Star-1 level included, would be nice to get that reviewed (I think that one is better than some of the other levels I made early on). Thanks!

[PixelPest]

Since Enjl's review was quite in-depth and I agree with a lot of what he had to say, I'm more going to mostly throw out some suggestions and ideas I had when playing, as well as just some more picky things. You say you want to see someone improve the levels, so what I'm going to do is throw out some pointers as to what I would do to some of the things that I feel need the most attention.

1-1

• Very short for even a 1-1 level
• The midpoint isn't really needed due to the lack of difficulty, neither are the large number of power-ups (for the difficulty and length you have I'd say one at the start and one after the cave section would suffice)
• The cave section lacks purpose since it's so short and I feel like you should do a bit more with it if you plan on including it
• Be careful when mixing SMB3 and SMW elements; sometimes they don't work very well together
• A lot of the level seems flat and blocky (could use some varied terrain) and the first section is a bit bland

1-2

• Even shorter than 1-1
• Has a concept that works for a 1-2 level but needs more substance; it's really short and repetitive
• Don't just use 4x4 blocks; they look aesthetically unappealing, especially when mixed with blocks of other styles; try to vary the terrain and the jumps the player makes
• Consider that making the player complete the same jump with the same distance over and over is boring; try varying the distances between the platforms, the shape of the platforms, and the height of the platforms
• With some more variety this level could be a lot longer and more interesting
• Dragon coins shouldn't be placed in the main path of the player; they're like prizes and lose their significance if they are easy to reach; the should not be on the main path of the player's travel and challenge them

***Also make sure that sideways warps (where the player exits to the right) are aligned with the bottom of the pipe, not the middle***

1-3

• It just needs more; hard to comment on where to go with it when it's so short and has very little to it (one enemy, bland, no apparent concept or idea)

1-Tower

• I liked the set-up for Boom Boom; it was simple yet effective and I actually found it quite fun
• Dragon coins were placed much better
• Try to change the way you place roto-discs and bullet bills; they were almost always providing the same challenge in which the player just had to duck under them; try placing them so that they go along the ground and the player has to jump over them, etc.
• The blocky aesthetics with the sizable and general shape of the level wasn't overly appealing
• If you vary how you place enemies this level could be a lot longer and more fun, but you have a good start
• Also like the other levels, the amount of power-ups in this level is so obsessive that you almost have to try and die

1-4

• A little bland and could use some varied terrain and set-ups
• Try to think of how you could make set-ups with Banzai Bills more or less challenging, by using other elements such as terrain to do so; I felt like they were all too easily avoidable

1-5

• Way too short and didn't need a midpoint
• Not much done with this; most of the goombas fell off of the blocks before you could reach them
• Like 1-3, it just needs more; try to think of how you could build on the level (force the player into the water at times, maybe use some red koopas that will stay on the blocks and be more of a challenge, etc.)

1-Castle

• Anticlimactic for World 1
• The Boom Boom boss is easier than earlier and the level is so short and provides so many power-ups that you don't even have to worry about avoiding the spammed podoboos
• Try to think about how you could create more challenging set-ups with enemies than just spam the player with them as the player runs forward along flat ground

Also just to let you know the world map looks like it's missing water around World 1.

I'm going to stop there for now, since I feel like I'll start repeating myself. I found World 2 was mostly easier than World 1 and had a lot of aesthetical issues, some of which Enjl mentioned. For the most part it shared World 1's issues: overly short levels, unvaried set-ups, flat terrain, etc.

I don't think it's necessarily worth completely scrapping this episode, since you have a good start

[Taycamgame]

Great advice which I will definitely take into account in the future. Just wondering, what was the best and worst levels of the game?

[PixelPest]

Great advice which I will definitely take into account in the future. Just wondering, what was the best and worst levels of the game?

I didn't get all of the way through, but would have to say enjoyed 1-3 or 1-Castle the least and 1-Tower the most

[Taycamgame]

Do keyhole exits require a warp to function? So far I have always used a locked door warp on keyholes.
Also, the levels get longer and IMO better after World 3. The secret Star level is also decent, after you play thru that i'd like to hear feedback on it as i think it's much better than world 1 + 2 levels. (It is unlocked via 3-Ghosthouse secret exit). You have to download the map file to play that one though.

[PixelPest]

Do keyhole exits require a warp to function? So far I have always used a locked door warp on keyholes.
Also, the levels get longer and IMO better after World 3. The secret Star level is also decent, after you play thru that i'd like to hear feedback on it as i think it's much better than world 1 + 2 levels. (It is unlocked via 3-Ghosthouse secret exit). You have to download the map file to play that one though.

I see a Star-1 folder but not a .lvl file to go along with it...

Also you don't need a warp for a keyhole exit. You place the SMW keyhole exit BGO and that's it

[Taycamgame]

The link should now include the Star-1 level file.
Guess I forgot to put it in the zip file along with the map.

[Emral]

I feel the worst things are the length of early levels, not expanding on gimmicks enough, not the best autoscroll speeds, aesthetics... Is that what you had in mind?

Not much aesthetics, other than in that forest level... it looked fine and I don't agree with most of pixelpest's comments about the aesthetic, but I digress...
Yes, I feel like the early ends to levels are what is keeping them back the most currently. I recommend asking yourself the following when placing things in your level: "What purpose does this serve?" Let me elaborate...
Imagine you placed a goomba in a level, right in front of a ledge. What purpose does this goomba have? He falls to his doom immediately, he poses no threat. What is his purpose? In most levels, this would be a brainless decision and the answer would be "I don't know", but occasionally decisions that people might consider weird are deliberate: Imagine if the pit was something that acts as lava but looks like it might not be harmful. The goomba would die in the lava and teach the player about lava, honourably sacrificing his life. Now...
instead of going around placing goombas in front of pits, I want you to ask yourself "why is this here" for the structure of the level itself. Here's a little exercise, with some answers I provide for you to think about:
[rimg]https://i.imgur.com/UWONovv.png[/rimg]
•Why is the block there?
•Does the block fulfill its purpose?
•Why is the block not anywhere else?
•What path is the player likely going to follow here?
•What reason does the player have to go into the water?
•What could be a reason for the player to go into the water? How can I make it rewarding?

Possible answers (not definitive answers, just what I analyse from this)

Spoiler: show

•As a reward for the player. A pack of coins for going down its path.
•It's very easy to get to, so not really.
•This seemed like a good spot.
•The path of the block.
•None.
•Move the block into the water, so that the player has to put himself in danger for his reward.

It possibly sounds overwhelming at first, but asking yourself this for the obstacles you place is really good practice. Stuff like "Why a green koopa on the ledge and not a red one?" or "why are the coins here and not a few tiles higher?". If you get into the mind of your player, you can manipulate his experience more effectively. This is a super powerful tool (which can also be used for evil purposes), which greatly helps shape the experience and lets you guide players into how you want them to play your levels.

That went on for longer than I thought... well, without further ado...

Star-1
It feels a lot like many of the better levels in the pack, although I feel like everything was a bit lopsided. I like your secret areas, but they were all in the first section. It seems more natural to me to have one star in each of the three sections, to balance it out. If you want to improve this level I propose a small challenge: Make accessing each of the secret areas a different experience. Currently all of them are "enter suspicious pipe and you're there", but that's quite obvious. Good for introductions, but once your player knows your shtick, you can start making it more interesting: How about having to kick a shell to uncover a pipe? Or uncovering a vine in a ?-Block that leads to a secret? There are many more interesting ways to hide secrets, and once you start understanding your tools you can get real creative with it, so I encourage staying curious.

[PixelPest]

it looked fine and I don't agree with most of pixelpest's comments about the aesthetic, but I digress...

Just wondering what you disagreed with? Or if you disagreed with a lot what did you agree with?

[Emral]

it looked fine and I don't agree with most of pixelpest's comments about the aesthetic, but I digress...

Just wondering what you disagreed with? Or if you disagreed with a lot what did you agree with?

Be careful when mixing SMB3 and SMW elements; sometimes they don't work very well together

The included artstyles in the game are all very similar and crying over style mixing hardly ever becomes relevant until you come across something like this, which, even with style clash, manages to create a pretty interesting and unique look.
All things considered, SMB3 and SMW elements do work well together, until you put a red smb3 bush in a blue smw level, but then again that happens for a red bush of any style so go figure.

Don't just use 4x4 blocks; they look aesthetically unappealing

Depends on how they're used. It's possible to go for a theme involving them, and in 1-2 they didn't bug me, as I considered them a twist on the blocks in orig 1-2, and they provided a unique twist on the platforming in orig 1-2.

look aesthetically unappealing, especially when mixed with blocks of other styles

Style has nothing to do with this, theme does. Place them at the beach and they stand out regardless of style.

The blocky aesthetics with the sizable and general shape of the level wasn't overly appealing

A valid personal opinion. I think it shares a lot with SMB3's castles in that regard. This is the one I agree with.

[PixelPest]

it looked fine and I don't agree with most of pixelpest's comments about the aesthetic, but I digress...

Just wondering what you disagreed with? Or if you disagreed with a lot what did you agree with?

Be careful when mixing SMB3 and SMW elements; sometimes they don't work very well together

The included artstyles in the game are all very similar and crying over style mixing hardly ever becomes relevant until you come across something like this, which, even with style clash, manages to create a pretty interesting and unique look.
All things considered, SMB3 and SMW elements do work well together, until you put a red smb3 bush in a blue smw level, but then again that happens for a red bush of any style so go figure.

I thought it worked in that level specifically, It was more a heads up for the future.

Don't just use 4x4 blocks; they look aesthetically unappealing

Depends on how they're used. It's possible to go for a theme involving them, and in 1-2 they didn't bug me, as I considered them a twist on the blocks in orig 1-2, and they provided a unique twist on the platforming in orig 1-2.

Although I see where you're coming from I'd still have to disagree. Thanks for clarifying though

[Taycamgame]

Look at this image of a WIP level that is for my upcoming project (1-1):

The main gimmick are parts of the ground that move up and down. How do I apply 4-step level design to something as simple as moving ground?

[Emral]

I thought it worked in that level specifically, It was more a heads up for the future.

Heads up for the future in which other people blow it completely out of proportion based on what they once heard someone say?
A tile sticking out due to its colour occurs much, much more often than style actually becoming an issue.

The main gimmick are parts of the ground that move up and down. How do I apply 4-step level design to something as simple as moving ground?

-Introduce in a way in which the player can't get harmed by it
-Teach by showing the player, not by using signs.
-Expand upon the gimmick by having longer stretches using it and combining it with enemies that stand in the player's way.
-Start mutating the idea: Have sizeables that move in a wave opposite to the ground they're on, for example. Try different combinations of moving ground & static ground. Introduce pits.
-If you're feeling extra fancy: Introduce a second element in the second half which compliments your moving obstacle, like a paratroopa which can guard the sky and give the player a reason to stay low.
-Close the level off with a final gauntlet which recaps what the level was about.
-Try to not repeat your setups. Always try to mix up how you use your idea. This can be done subtly, by adding an enemy to the mix, or drastically, by doing things like introducing it for sizeables.

[OlieGamerTV]

Look at this image of a WIP level that is for my upcoming project (1-1):

The main gimmick are parts of the ground that move up and down. How do I apply 4-step level design to something as simple as moving ground?

i know how to make moving blocks using events, its pretty easy

[Taycamgame]

-Expand upon the gimmick by having longer stretches using it and combining it with enemies that stand in the player's way.
-Start mutating the idea: Have sizeables that move in a wave opposite to the ground they're on, for example.

1. I thought enemies couldn't be placed on moving layers - I tried it but they just die instantly.
2. I don't understand - do you have an image / video explaining this wave concept in more detail?
Also, that sign says "Careful, the moving platforms have a slight chance of killing you". Should I just remove it?

[Emral]

-Expand upon the gimmick by having longer stretches using it and combining it with enemies that stand in the player's way.
-Start mutating the idea: Have sizeables that move in a wave opposite to the ground they're on, for example.

1. I thought enemies couldn't be placed on moving layers - I tried it but they just die instantly.
2. I don't understand - do you have an image / video explaining this wave concept in more detail?
Also, that sign says "Careful, the moving platforms have a slight chance of killing you". Should I just remove it?

1. Put the enemy on the layer as well, and just to be safe put it a block above the layer. The enemy will move with the layer when it's not spawned.
2.Ground moves up, sizeable on ground moves down. Creates a motion like opening and closing a mouth. Don't make the sizeable go below the ground, though.
3. Place the platforms in a way in which this can't happen or make the sign more descriptive. This message will only make players paranoid. I would go with the former.