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The Fallen Spirits - 2022 UPDATE!

https://www.smbxgame.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20776

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Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2018 10:55 am
by DisOmikron
joelcanciones wrote: ↑
Fri Nov 09, 2018 11:13 pm
 Hi: I tried playing your episode but since each world is on .lvl file, how can I know how many star does each level has if it is not indicated in the entrance to each level for that reason?
Hey!
Each of the 4 worlds consists of 3 stages. Each of those 3 stages has 5 stars in it. If you collect all 15 stars in a world, a secret 4th stage will appear (also with 5 stars). If you collect all 5 stars in a stage, a yellow star symbol will appear above the entrance to the stage! :)

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2018 2:14 pm
by joelcanciones
Hiagian: I started playing your episode but I found a problem. I couldn't fnd a way to get to the star in the firt star rom (the one that has a star in the entrance that turns yellow once you have gotten the star) in "Moth Woods" since only the tip of the trees is climbable. And usually when can find how to do something in SMBX I use cheats to try to find what to do and when find what to do I do it without cheats. And while searching what to do with cheats found that you get instantly killed when you use the door a t the top. Am I doing something wrong or does that level needs to be corrected? Thanks in advance for your help.

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2018 5:25 pm
by DisOmikron
joelcanciones wrote: ↑
Thu Nov 22, 2018 2:14 pm
 Hiagian: I started playing your episode but I found a problem. I couldn't fnd a way to get to the star in the firt star rom (the one that has a star in the entrance that turns yellow once you have gotten the star) in "Moth Woods" since only the tip of the trees is climbable. And usually when can find how to do something in SMBX I use cheats to try to find what to do and when find what to do I do it without cheats. And while searching what to do with cheats found that you get instantly killed when you use the door a t the top. Am I doing something wrong or does that level needs to be corrected? Thanks in advance for your help.
You can, of course, get to every star without cheats. Sometimes it's just not as obvious what you have to do - and, as you noticed, there are 2 doors in that room, meaning that if you can't reach the star through the first door, there's an other door somewhere in the stage. And no, there's nothing that has to be corrected. If you cheat yourself to a door that you can NEVER reach without cheats, and you die, then it is your own fault.

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2018 1:59 pm
by joelcanciones
Hi: I almost have finished your episode but it was a bad thing that after having the same difficulty level in all the episode suddenly you make a two part final boss that each part is very hard and tha tmade me not able to finish the episode. You should've put a checkpoint before the the the final part of the boss the one that you have to hit him with bombs.

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2018 8:35 am
by candle
Hi DisOmikron, yesterday I finished SMB: A New Beginning, and now I've acquired a taste for episodes that focus on exploration. I've cleared 1-1 of The Fallen Spirits already. Looking forward to seeing more :) Both the backgrounds and the BGM capture the respective atmosphere very well, and I appreciate that you've made every single Star Cell unlock a new Spirit. Also, I like that the sense of discovery already starts in the hubs.

Usually I absolutely dislike illusion walls, but the
Spoiler: show
two instances
I've come across so far seemed fair enough. The only issue I've encountered so far is that if you hit the ground hard while standing on an icicle platform, Mario may get stuck in the ground. May be SMBX 2 only though, and all you need to do is to jump shortly before the platform hits the ground, to slow it down.

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 2:53 pm
by DisOmikron
candle wrote: ↑
Sun Dec 16, 2018 8:35 am
 Hi DisOmikron, yesterday I finished SMB: A New Beginning, and now I've acquired a taste for episodes that focus on exploration. I've cleared 1-1 of The Fallen Spirits already. Looking forward to seeing more :) Both the backgrounds and the BGM capture the respective atmosphere very well, and I appreciate that you've made every single Star Cell unlock a new Spirit. Also, I like that the sense of discovery already starts in the hubs.

Usually I absolutely dislike illusion walls, but the
Spoiler: show
two instances
I've come across so far seemed fair enough. The only issue I've encountered so far is that if you hit the ground hard while standing on an icicle platform, Mario may get stuck in the ground. May be SMBX 2 only though, and all you need to do is to jump shortly before the platform hits the ground, to slow it down.
As I said already, glad that you like it! I made this episode with 1.3.0.1 and haven't encountered the icicle platform issue, so it might be a 2.0 issue only.

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:53 pm
by Googolplexian+
Let me just say. That was a really good game. The only thing I had trouble with was some of the stars were really difficult to find, I literally committed suicide on the game several times just to find a couple of them. But I think the game was exceptional.

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 10:11 am
by DisOmikron
Googolplexian+ wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:53 pm
 Let me just say. That was a really good game. The only thing I had trouble with was some of the stars were really difficult to find, I literally committed suicide on the game several times just to find a couple of them. But I think the game was exceptional.
I'm glad you like the game! Could you tell me which of the stars were really difficult to find? I'm just curious. I tried to make it clear with the level design that jumping into pits will only lead to a secret room if there's a(n obvious) hint that there could be a secret. Anyway, thanks for playing! :)

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 2:22 pm
by Googolplexian+
It is the one in Moth wood, Close to the end of level, all the way up with the coins in between. Do you know what i am talking about?

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2019 7:07 am
by candle
Coincidentally, I recently finished playing The Fallen Spirits. Truly a good candidate for a featured episode :-)

But first of all, the bugs (playing on 2b3):
  • You can pass the magical door in Night Oasis with only four Spirit Coins collected
  • Spoiler: show
    Stario briefly appears after you defeat the second boss
  • During the first sequence of the final fight, the scenery briefly distorts about every 30 seconds. Only slightly irritating though.
  • Not really a bug, but in the download there is a savefile contained in which the game has been solved to 95%
I like the idea that there should be secrets in every single level :) Also, I appreciate your efforts in thinking of ever new hiding places. Like I said, normally I strongly dislike illusion walls and puzzles depending on invisible blocks, but you've placed them so skilfully that I enjoyed the treasure hunting nevertheless. Even though I found almost every Spirit Cell on my first attempt.

Sometimes I wished there would be more than just one or two kinds of enemies per level, even if they be vanilla ones, but I do suspect this would change the overall feel of the game significantly. In any case, it was great to see so many custom sprites :)

Also, I'd greatly appreciate if something changed after you collect the 100th Spirit Cell. Most importantly, the Spirits should stop talking like the Spirit Kingdom was still in distress. A soundcheck room would be nice, too. However, to be honest, I wouldn't know what to do about
Spoiler: show
Stario. Leave him be and ignore the inconsistencies? Or replace him with good Spirits? Then the finale would be unrepeatable. Unless there was a bonus room from which to access all boss fights again... Maybe, with 100 Spirit Cells regained, the Spirits (re-)gained the ability to open portals into the past, but only the near past and to very specific locations.
Finally, I find the BGM really fitting :) I mean, you even have a calm version and a lively version of the same melody, for the hub and for the levels, respectively. Not only that, but you composed all 20 BGMs yourself! :o That's amazing! In particular, the Spirit Haven theme is one of the best musics I've ever heard! I still have an earworm from it (which made finding my way through winter sale a lot more pleasant. And how appropriately so:
Spoiler: show
EXAM - Determination, EXAM - Endurance etc. - might as well apply to shopping tours imo ;)
).

Hopefully we'll hear more from you in the future!

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2019 6:13 pm
by DisOmikron
Googolplexian+ wrote: ↑
Sat Jan 26, 2019 2:22 pm
 It is the one in Moth wood, Close to the end of level, all the way up with the coins in between. Do you know what i am talking about?
Yeah. I honestly didn't expect anyone to search for all the stars, since you only need 40 to complete the game. There's variability regarding the difficulty of the stars, though. Some of the stars are a little harder to find / to get to, if you DO want to go for 100%.
candle wrote: Coincidentally, I recently finished playing The Fallen Spirits. Truly a good candidate for a featured episode :-)

But first of all, the bugs (playing on 2b3):
  • You can pass the magical door in Night Oasis with only four Spirit Coins collected
  • Spoiler: show
    Stario briefly appears after you defeat the second boss
  • During the first sequence of the final fight, the scenery briefly distorts about every 30 seconds. Only slightly irritating though.
  • Not really a bug, but in the download there is a savefile contained in which the game has been solved to 95%
I like the idea that there should be secrets in every single level :) Also, I appreciate your efforts in thinking of ever new hiding places. Like I said, normally I strongly dislike illusion walls and puzzles depending on invisible blocks, but you've placed them so skilfully that I enjoyed the treasure hunting nevertheless. Even though I found almost every Spirit Cell on my first attempt.

Sometimes I wished there would be more than just one or two kinds of enemies per level, even if they be vanilla ones, but I do suspect this would change the overall feel of the game significantly. In any case, it was great to see so many custom sprites :)

Also, I'd greatly appreciate if something changed after you collect the 100th Spirit Cell. Most importantly, the Spirits should stop talking like the Spirit Kingdom was still in distress. A soundcheck room would be nice, too. However, to be honest, I wouldn't know what to do about
Spoiler: show
Stario. Leave him be and ignore the inconsistencies? Or replace him with good Spirits? Then the finale would be unrepeatable. Unless there was a bonus room from which to access all boss fights again... Maybe, with 100 Spirit Cells regained, the Spirits (re-)gained the ability to open portals into the past, but only the near past and to very specific locations.
Finally, I find the BGM really fitting :) I mean, you even have a calm version and a lively version of the same melody, for the hub and for the levels, respectively. Not only that, but you composed all 20 BGMs yourself! :o That's amazing! In particular, the Spirit Haven theme is one of the best musics I've ever heard! I still have an earworm from it (which made finding my way through winter sale a lot more pleasant. And how appropriately so:
Spoiler: show
EXAM - Determination, EXAM - Endurance etc. - might as well apply to shopping tours imo ;)
).

Hopefully we'll hear more from you in the future!
Thanks for the detailed review! :) I'm glad you like both the game and the music :)

"Stario briefly appears after you defeat the second boss" - Yep! That's there on purpose, a little hint towards the end of the game :D
Also, I'm aware of the fact that during the first phase of the final boss fight, sometimes the scenery slightly distorts, but I don't think there's any solution for this. In 9 out of 10 cases, it works perfectly.

And yeah, I agree that there should be some kind of 100% reward. SMBX has its limits, though, and to be honest, I've gotten a little lazy there XD

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2019 5:39 am
by MegaDood
I love how original everything is. You weren't lying when you said you focused on originality!

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2019 6:04 am
by candle
DisOmikron wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 31, 2019 6:13 pm
 Thanks for the detailed review! :) I'm glad you like both the game and the music :)
Actually I wasn't finished yet; I just didn't want to deluge you with feedback :-P

So, the one level I would overhaul is Moth Woods.
Spoiler: show
First of all, it was only in World #5 that I realized that the tops of broken trees are climbable. I suggest that at the start of the level, there be a ?-block that is only reachable by climbing three trees (every one taller than the previous one). IMO that would make it sufficiently clear.

Next thing is the first Spirit Cell room. I would make the sign point to the exit, to indicate that you can't collect the Spirit Cell from there. Otherwise some players (like me...) might think that you're supposed to jump on the fish to reach the vines above, then summon up elite Jump'N'Run skills to jump from moth to moth all the way to the Spirit Cell.

About the underwater section expanding when you jump into the pond: I would hint at it by having the sign point below rather than above. That way, players will know that there is something down there, but they still need to figure out that you can only access it via the neighbouring pond.

Lastly, I found the hidden vine (shortly before the last section) all too well hidden. I suggest the "upwards" sign be placed above the door to the last section, to indicate that it does not refer to the coins.

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2019 5:26 pm
by DisOmikron
MegaDood wrote: ↑
Sat Feb 02, 2019 5:39 am
 I love how original everything is. You weren't lying when you said you focused on originality!
Thanks, I tried my best!
candle wrote:
DisOmikron wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 31, 2019 6:13 pm
 Thanks for the detailed review! :) I'm glad you like both the game and the music :)
Actually I wasn't finished yet; I just didn't want to deluge you with feedback :-P

So, the one level I would overhaul is Moth Woods.
Spoiler: show
First of all, it was only in World #5 that I realized that the tops of broken trees are climbable. I suggest that at the start of the level, there be a ?-block that is only reachable by climbing three trees (every one taller than the previous one). IMO that would make it sufficiently clear.

Next thing is the first Spirit Cell room. I would make the sign point to the exit, to indicate that you can't collect the Spirit Cell from there. Otherwise some players (like me...) might think that you're supposed to jump on the fish to reach the vines above, then summon up elite Jump'N'Run skills to jump from moth to moth all the way to the Spirit Cell.

About the underwater section expanding when you jump into the pond: I would hint at it by having the sign point below rather than above. That way, players will know that there is something down there, but they still need to figure out that you can only access it via the neighbouring pond.

Lastly, I found the hidden vine (shortly before the last section) all too well hidden. I suggest the "upwards" sign be placed above the door to the last section, to indicate that it does not refer to the coins.
I'm probably going to make an updated version of the entire game at some point, fixing all those minor issues all at once.
About the hidden vine in Moth Woods, just in case you didn't notice, the signs are meant to be confusing. What you should really pay attention to is the colour of the flowers. Whenever there are red flowers instead of yellow ones, there's a secret! Most people don't notice that I think, but that's understandable, it's just flowers after all! :D

Anyway, thanks again for taking your time and pointing out things that could be changed, I appreciate it!

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 3:48 pm
by Googolplexian+
Dang. Few days ago I 100% completed it. It was insane.
Spoiler: show
The pillars and the other child spirit were unexpected. I have been looking for the second child for a while until I finally decided to look in the first boss room(I think it was the first, maybe it was second. It's been a while)
And I wanted to say great job again. The bonus world I died like quite so many times. But it was fun finally achieve 100% completion.

Thanks DisOmikron.

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 2:36 pm
by DisOmikron
Googolplexian+ wrote: ↑
Wed Feb 06, 2019 3:48 pm
 Dang. Few days ago I 100% completed it. It was insane.
Spoiler: show
The pillars and the other child spirit were unexpected. I have been looking for the second child for a while until I finally decided to look in the first boss room(I think it was the first, maybe it was second. It's been a while)
And I wanted to say great job again. The bonus world I died like quite so many times. But it was fun finally achieve 100% completion.

Thanks DisOmikron.
No, thank you for playing! :) I tried to be as creative as possible when coming up with ideas for the secret spirits in the main hub, I wanted each of the puzzles to be unique. The final challenge is a harder version of the very first level of my first episode. It's supposed to be frustrating while still remaining fair!

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 3:56 pm
by Googolplexian+
Hey DisOmikron, could you possibly try my game out? I know it is far from perfect, but I just want to see if you would enjoy it?
Also, could you teach me or show me the site that you used to make your music? I've been trying to find ways to make my music, but every time I can't find the right type for my music.

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 8:04 pm
by DisOmikron
Googolplexian+ wrote: ↑
Tue Feb 12, 2019 3:56 pm
 Hey DisOmikron, could you possibly try my game out? I know it is far from perfect, but I just want to see if you would enjoy it?
Also, could you teach me or show me the site that you used to make your music? I've been trying to find ways to make my music, but every time I can't find the right type for my music.
I use FL Studio for making my music. But I've been composing original songs for more than 10 years now, it takes a lot a practice and of course passion. :)

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 2:53 pm
by Googolplexian+
DisOmikron wrote: ↑
Tue Feb 12, 2019 8:04 pm
Googolplexian+ wrote: ↑
Tue Feb 12, 2019 3:56 pm
 Hey DisOmikron, could you possibly try my game out? I know it is far from perfect, but I just want to see if you would enjoy it?
Also, could you teach me or show me the site that you used to make your music? I've been trying to find ways to make my music, but every time I can't find the right type for my music.
I use FL Studio for making my music. But I've been composing original songs for more than 10 years now, it takes a lot a practice and of course passion. :)
Thanks!

Re: The Fallen Spirits (Update 1.2!)

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2019 7:46 am
by candle
DisOmikron wrote: ↑
Mon Feb 04, 2019 5:26 pm
 I'm probably going to make an updated version of the entire game at some point, fixing all those minor issues all at once.
*snip*
Anyway, thanks again for taking your time and pointing out things that could be changed, I appreciate it!
You're welcome! :-) And yes, by all means, make an update! That'll increase the chances of your episode getting featured even further :-)

I'm curious about your BGMs... Which came first: The levels or the music? Where and when did you get your inspirations (e.g. while going for a walk)? Do you (or could you) play your BGMs on a keyboard as well?
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