Hoppy Cloudy Aftergrounds uh

[Valentine]

WHOA A REVIEW

REVIEW OF HOPPY CLOUDY AFTERGROUND BY HARVEY36DICE

GAMEPLAY
This level is honestly not very good, the gameplay for the first part of the level is okay for something like world 1 or world 2 and it's fine it works. The only annoyance about this part is the waiting you have to do for the moving layer mushrooms in order to progress completely halting the gameplay for like 10 seconds, it's just a mild annoyance. But after you introduce the "Skull Blocks" it all completely falls apart, the difficulty jumps which would be fine if it wouldn't be in the length of one single level and the jump wouldn't be at the scope of like 3-5 worlds (Depending on the overall difficulty of an episode). Additionally this level is very buggy because of the useless moving layers and then SMW fences right after them which makes them bug out (Not to mention there's an SMW fence WITH narrow skull block paths right after a moving layer and you can probably guess what happens). There was also way too many powers ups and the only things i died to were insta-kills.

ATMOSPHERE
You get a point because the level doesn't look like garbage. That's all i can say.

OVERALL:
There's a couple of things that save this level from the trash can but other than that it's not really worth playing. There's no real challange other then the before mentioned insta-kill blocks that aren't interesting or good design.

SCORE: 4/10

[Alagirez]

Oh ok thanks for the review, although the final score makes me fell..... bad... :'(
I will fix these flaws and re-upload it ASAP.
NOTE : I can't fix the bug of the SMW fences.... help me pls

[Valentine]

Just remove the useless moving layers to fix it

[Alagirez]

Ok Thank you for that ^_^
i will update this level tomorrow if i can....

[Waddle]

Alrighty, have some feedback.

- First off; man, you really gotta work on those level names. Aftergrounds isn't even a word, and the '3's are kind of unnecessary.

- Then there's your graphic choices. You probably should have recoloured the climbable rocks on the ledges, since they're much darker than the rest of the environment. I'm personally not a fan of the bushes and brambles on the rocky ceiling, but that aside. I'm also not a fan of slope- and BGO spam, and it's a shame it appears to be a recurring theme in your levels. I liked the atmosphere in this level, but I'm not sure if I agree with your music choice.

- Gameplay-wise, this level was about the same as your other levels. Hit a switch. WOAH, something happened/moved! Coloured switch blocks? Cool! Never seen those before! You used Grinders as an obstacle quite randomly throughout the level, and they felt really out of place (and they only appeared 3 times). Same goes for the death blocks. These are obstacles you'd normally expect to see in a castle-ish area, not a happy, cloudy mushroom "Aftergrounds". Another thing you do all the time is put Venus Fire Traps in random spots in the ground, so that the player cannot reach them. This obstacle is way too frequent in almost every single one of your levels, and you should probably try to avoid using it so often.

All in all, I wasn't a big fan of this level. You have a very severe case of the "hitaswitchtohitanotherswitchandseewhathappens" syndrome, which is unfortunately quite common in this community. I'd give this level a 4, based on the issues I listed.

Edit: Ninja'd by Sanct.

[RudeGuy]

Just remove the useless moving layers to fix it

Or use climbable NPCs.

[Alagirez]

I just fixed some flaws that Sanct pointed out. I will update the level tomorrow.
Edit : fixed.
@Waddle Derp : Am I wrong if I use switches? also nice syndrome name.

[Waddle]

I just fixed some flaws that Sanct pointed out. I will update the level tomorrow.
@Waddle Derp : Am I wrong if I use switches? also nice syndrome name.

Yes. Switches are very, VERY outdated. Also, the "hitaswitchtohitanotherswitchandseewhathappens" syndrome is actually a very serious disease that is definitely not funny.

[Alagirez]

This level has been updated! Check the main post. i would like to re-review.

[PROX]

PROX's Unofficial Review:

Spoiler: show

A well structured mountainous level high above the clouds with floating water, awkwardly moving mushrooms, and glitchy climbable fences.

Design: For the most part, the design was good. The level wasn't too flat, nor was it too boring. It always introduced something new rather than simply rehashing everything over and over again. I am noticing a trend in your levels though, and I definitely think that it needs to be polished. I'm very glad to see that you put a checkpoint in a practical area where the player can easily find it rather than placing it in an optional area where it can be easily missed. Anyway, the gripes I have on this level are the fact that you used moving layers with climbable fences. It causes a glitch to take place where the player will automatically move in a certain direction based on the movement of the layer. It's especially hard to deal with when you have insta-killing blocks in your path while climbing on them. I'm not a fan of those insta-killing blocks, but that's my personal opinion, and that will not affect the score in any way because it's my opinion. At least you indicated what they do. I do find that the indication before the pipe was unnecessary after the checkpoint because the player will see a platform in that area, and most likely it will trigger curiosity. Then the player will want to go there. It sort of gives the player a feeling of exploration. Also you should keep the propeller block layer on instead of off because I was still able to use it as long as I was holding it. It was also invisible so it basically looked like Mario was trying not to pee while completing the section. I also think that you should probably do something different rather than just making switch puzzles. Secrets are also something that would benefit your level although it's not required, but it does make a level more interesting.
Score: 6/10

NPC Placement: The NPC placement was good. They were nicely spaced out and used very practically. There wasn't all that much cluttering in any way. The variety was also nice as well. I will say that the cheep cheep that you placed in the floating water wasn't in a very good spot since it seemed to just fall out and it didn't pose a threat to the player at all. You're better off just getting rid of the floating water in that area before hitting the switch. Aside from that cheep cheep, the npc placement was fine.
Score: 9/10

Atmosphere: Well the graphics certainly fit the theme. For the most part, the atmosphere was fine. I don't exactly agree with the music choice with your level since it would seem to fit in an ice level rather than a sky mountainous level. That's really the only gripe I have about it though.
Score: 9/10

Overall Score: 8/10
Pretty nice, but the glitch hurt the level a bit. Be more careful with how you execute moving layers and climbable fences. I would replace those graphics with climbable npcs so that glitch won't happen. It only seems to happen with the climbable BGOs.

[Emral]

Heh, the amount of different reviews and opinions on this intrigues me. I kinda want to check this out now.

[Alagirez]

PROX's Unofficial Review:

Spoiler: show

A well structured mountainous level high above the clouds with floating water, awkwardly moving mushrooms, and glitchy climbable fences.

Design: For the most part, the design was good. The level wasn't too flat, nor was it too boring. It always introduced something new rather than simply rehashing everything over and over again. I am noticing a trend in your levels though, and I definitely think that it needs to be polished. I'm very glad to see that you put a checkpoint in a practical area where the player can easily find it rather than placing it in an optional area where it can be easily missed. Anyway, the gripes I have on this level are the fact that you used moving layers with climbable fences. It causes a glitch to take place where the player will automatically move in a certain direction based on the movement of the layer. It's especially hard to deal with when you have insta-killing blocks in your path while climbing on them. I'm not a fan of those insta-killing blocks, but that's my personal opinion, and that will not affect the score in any way because it's my opinion. At least you indicated what they do. I do find that the indication before the pipe was unnecessary after the checkpoint because the player will see a platform in that area, and most likely it will trigger curiosity. Then the player will want to go there. It sort of gives the player a feeling of exploration. Also you should keep the propeller block layer on instead of off because I was still able to use it as long as I was holding it. It was also invisible so it basically looked like Mario was trying not to pee while completing the section. I also think that you should probably do something different rather than just making switch puzzles. Secrets are also something that would benefit your level although it's not required, but it does make a level more interesting.
Score: 6/10

NPC Placement: The NPC placement was good. They were nicely spaced out and used very practically. There wasn't all that much cluttering in any way. The variety was also nice as well. I will say that the cheep cheep that you placed in the floating water wasn't in a very good spot since it seemed to just fall out and it didn't pose a threat to the player at all. You're better off just getting rid of the floating water in that area before hitting the switch. Aside from that cheep cheep, the npc placement was fine.
Score: 9/10

Atmosphere: Well the graphics certainly fit the theme. For the most part, the atmosphere was fine. I don't exactly agree with the music choice with your level since it would seem to fit in an ice level rather than a sky mountainous level. That's really the only gripe I have about it though.
Score: 9/10

Overall Score: 8/10
Pretty nice, but the glitch hurt the level a bit. Be more careful with how you execute moving layers and climbable fences. I would replace those graphics with climbable npcs so that glitch won't happen. It only seems to happen with the climbable BGOs.

Thank you for the review!
wait
Did you review the old version? I say this because I was removed all the skull blocks and replaced it with MM spike blocks.
if yes, you should review the new ones, because the old ones was sucks.

[PROX]

I probably did, I probably downloaded it the day before you updated it and it was after midnight so I was confused.

[RoundPiplup]

Hmm... Guess there are different tastes based on who's reviewing the level. For me, it feels like the upper average level, but not too high(compared to level like the full green forest level from CC11). I can't really tell how to make it better, but I know that this level was made for the music level contest, which may bring up mixed feelings based on who's viewing it(I think).

[as303298]

Since you asked for a re-review, I'll be taking the stage here.
My review:

Atmosphere [5/5]
No issues whatsoever.

Level Design [2/5]
This level falls short in terms of a long lasting impression, but what I do remember is that this level still utilizes "artificial extensions," meaning the level is only long because you forced the player to take a side-path. Another note is that the player can pick up the Hoverblocks, but there is an event coded to remove this block later on the level. The problem arises in the fact the player's controls aren't coded to LET GO OF IT. Meaning the player has complete control of themselves as if they still actually had the item.

Another note is that the first sawblade you come across doesn't attach to the line it should be assigned to.

Final note: There is absolutely no need to have the player constantly hit a switch to make mushrooms "explode" into existence. While it is cute I found it unnecessary usage of event and layer shenanigans for no purpose other than to exist. I highly recommend removing the moving water layer, useless layer appearances, and remove the vine BGOs since they glitch out WAY too much in this level.

Graphical Continuity [3/5]
In terms of NPCs, I have to say that this really made no sense to me. It could be because I never liked Super Mario Land, but why would a goomba with a diving helmet hurt me when I jump on it? Or why are the sawblades so massive? These are questions I kept asking myself, which hurt your score a bit.

Another note, remove those ugly vines you used later on the level. They replace SMW Fences, which are hilariously glitched out in levels with moving layers. They do not fit graphically or practically in this level.

Music Continuity [4/5]
Don't use a .ogg format. People who only use SMBX's original editor will never hear the music. I was thrown off for a quick minute until I moved to SMBX 2.0 just to test my theory.

BGO Placement [5/5]
No identifiable issues found.

NPC Placement [3/5]
The placement was way too easy. This field is mostly gaining its points from Munchers and Spike placements, as they were the only actual obstacles in the level. If you were aiming for a World 1 difficulty, I would say you nailed it. But I highly recommend rethinking your NPC placement for the other enemies.

Difficulty Replayability [3/5]
Fix the above issues and I would say I would play this level again. As it stands, however, I would only play this level once and only due to my position. Once I saw this level use re-textured SMW Gates with moving layers I instinctively wanted to just quit in fear of stupid platforming issues. Which, of course, did happen later in the level.

Overall Score: 25/35
Finale Score: 7.1/10
Judgement: Average
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q_oxG2B8co

Spoiler: show

[Alagirez]

Thank you for the review
but

Finale Score: 7.1/10
Judgement: Average

I got 7.1 from a judge but the section still average? :/

"Pretty Good" - scores of 6/10 to 8/10
"Average" - scores of 3/10 to 5/10

[as303298]

I got 7.1 from a judge but the section still average? :/

"Pretty Good" - scores of 6/10 to 8/10
"Average" - scores of 3/10 to 5/10

I dont rate like they do, which I will talk to them about later.
Your level got 25/35, which is Average based on my rubric (21-25 points).

My methods may be slightly off from their default ways, but I can safely say this level doesn't belong in the "Pretty Good" section due to the over abundance of layer shenanigans and platform-breaking glitches.
Don't forget Pretty Good means "Levels that have good quality and are worth playing," a status your level hasn't exactly achieved yet.

In either case, I'll be chatting with Joey to see if my methods will be accepted or if I need to redo my rubric to fit into his generous system.


For now, I will place this in Pretty Good, but not of my own volition or judgement. This is only because of Joey's current system in place.

[PROX]

eh I think 7-8 should be pretty good and 4-6 should be average personally. The best still stands at 9-10. I mean, 3/10 shouldn't be considered average, and the others make more sense. Saying that a 6/10 is pretty good would be pushing things honestly. My personal rubric would consist of:
9-10: the best
7-8: pretty good
4-6: average
0-3: trash can
I think this would be more balanced honestly. It also makes sense due to percentage.