This is a level I made quite a while ago as part of an episode which I never finished and only recently rediscovered.
I fixed up a few graphically strange things that were going on in it but there are still quite a few surprises. For example, the mushroom at the beginning (shown in the top right corner of the first screenshot) with a question marked signpost on it has no stem because I couldn't fit it on the screen.
This level can be summarised in these two image:
This level contain too much goomba spam, and the invisible blocks (which usually contain more goombas) is placed in the worst position. In the picture above the arrow also leads to instant death. Also some of the pipes lead to instant death.
A positive thing about this level is that it's quite non-linear as there's many alternate path.
Last edited by TDK on Mon Jan 04, 2016 4:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Linik wrote:This looks like a good newbie level. Gotta try this out soon!
Looks can be deceiving.
This level is pratically a goomba spam. There are also lots of unfair hits. I'd suggest to never try doing something like this again, because enemy spam is always bad.
TNTtimelord wrote:You must have been inspired by Mario Maker.
Mario Maker is a new thing, I made this level about 5 years ago.
TheDinoKing432 wrote:In the picture above the arrow also leads to instant death.
If you look carefully there are two arrows, a smaller one in coins pointing you to go right, and a big one in black pointing down.
Obviously black = death, coins = life.
TNTtimelord wrote:You must have been inspired by Mario Maker.
Mario Maker is a new thing, I made this level about 5 years ago.
TheDinoKing432 wrote:In the picture above the arrow also leads to instant death.
If you look carefully there are two arrows, a smaller one in coins pointing you to go right, and a big one in black pointing down.
Obviously black = death, coins = life.
Didn't notice that.
However, why did you put an arrow leading to death in the first place? If you remove that arrow anyone would have knew it was a bottomless pit. Also the coin arrow was too small to be noticeable.
Overall this level was quite bad (I would give it about a 2/10), but as you said you made this level about 5 years ago, and this level is much better than the levels I used to make 5 years ago.
luigiofthebakery wrote:Obviously black = death, coins = life.
Although to be honest, we don't all know that. To a person that's just playing the level, all they see is an arrow, without caring what it's made of or how it got there. Therefore they are tempted to follow the arrow, only to be met with their demise. I would put a sign in the level that indicates that black is death and coins is life, so players would know.
Tinkerbell wrote:Damnit RudeGuy
I cheated in it bc it wasn't a good level and i don't feel to play fair if the level isn't fair itself.
It's much more fun if you don't cheat. I understand that it seems like the level isn't very fair, but that's to be expected if it has "trickery" in the title.
The level isn't meant to be able to be played through in one shot. It's a level where you have to try different options until eventually one works. The level isn't really that hard, there are plenty of powerups hidden in places if you go looking for them. The really only hard part that got me stuck for a few tries was the second enclosed stage with the two adjacent pipes in the middle, but once you figure out where the hidden blocks are it's not that hard.
TheDinoKing432 wrote:
However, why did you put an arrow leading to death in the first place? If you remove that arrow anyone would have knew it was a bottomless pit.
Linik wrote:
Although to be honest, we don't all know that. To a person that's just playing the level, all they see is an arrow, without caring what it's made of or how it got there. Therefore they are tempted to follow the arrow, only to be met with their demise. I would put a sign in the level that indicates that black is death and coins is life, so players would know.
The point of the level is to trick players and challenge the assumption they make that levels will always be nice and friendly and point you where to go. In life, you can't assume every arrow will lead you in the right direction. Many times you will have to find your own way. There will often be misleading arrows which you must learn to ignore.
Telling the player black arrows will lead to death ruins the whole point of the trick. The only reason the arrow is black is so players that don't have an assumption of arrows always leading in the right direction, or succumbed to the trick beforehand, will stop for a moment and think: "this arrow is black... black is an absence of light and has other negative connotations associated with it. Should I really follow this arrow or not? I think I might look for other options first." The player would then jump over the trench and see a pipe which if they choose to follow, would lead in the right direction. That's another lesson: to not jump to conclusions and examine different possibilities.
luigiofthebakery wrote:The point of the level is to trick players and challenge the assumption they make that levels will always be nice and friendly and point you where to go. In life, you can't assume every arrow will lead you in the right direction. Many times you will have to find your own way. There will often be misleading arrows which you must learn to ignore.
Telling the player black arrows will lead to death ruins the whole point of the trick. The only reason the arrow is black is so players that don't already have an assumption of arrows always leading in the right direction will stop for a moment and think: "this arrow is black... black is an absence of light and has other negative connotations associated with it. Should I really follow this arrow or not? I think I might look for other options first." The player would then jump over the trench and see a pipe which if they choose to follow, would lead in the right direction. That's another lesson: to not jump to conclusions and examine different possibilities.
Hence the name "Goomba Trickery" - I see it now
But once again, the player doesn't know at first glance what the arrows mean. This, plus the fact that there is so much Goomba spam, will really turn the player off the level because they can choose to die and end prematurely, or continue on further and be met with more Goombas that just make the level even more of a pain to endure. Exploring the other routes is just as bad as well because even then there is even more Goomba spam, and the player would not be tempted to continue that way because of the heavy Goomba spam and also the invisible blocks that try to hinder your jumps, and yet some of them contain even more Goombas, turning this level from semi-kaizo to absolute hell.
And before you try to teach me any more "lessons" on how to play a level properly, bear in mind that I've been a level judge before and I know what constitutes a good level.
This level was no fun whatsoever to play. It's filled with cheap deaths including hidden blocks, enemy spam, and pipes that when entered lead to an unavoidable death of the player. In addition to that, so many styles are mixed that it looks very messy. The overall layout of the level isn't great either with cramped areas and no break from the brutal spam. There's really no NPC variety either besides the Goombas and a few SMB2 enemies at the beginning. There's no replay value to this level and it's a pain to even play once. It may have been trying to be a puzzle level, but it wasn't really a puzzle at all; it could be summed up as a maze filled with enemy spam and cheap deaths.
Trickery doesn't mean that you should spam a lot of goombas in 1 cramped area or like the whole level, put billions of big ones into hidden blocks that might kill the player.
Poor placing of some npcs that results into instadesth or huts that can't be prevented.
Tinkerbell wrote:Trickery doesn't mean that you should spam a lot of goombas in 1 cramped area or like the whole level, put billions of big ones into hidden blocks that might kill the player.
Poor placing of some npcs that results into instadesth or huts that can't be prevented.
Trickery has nothing to do with spam.
I never said anything linking the trickery and spam, they're totally different aspects of the level. There is no NPC placement which results in insta-death or hurts that can't be prevented. I think I know the part you're referring to, it can be prevented if you get the timing right by going into the pipe as soon as you reach it.
I agree a lot of the goombas were in fact unnecessary spam and don't really contribute anything to the level. It would have probably been enough with the ones in the blocks and a few more scattered on the ground. A lot of the deaths from goombas in hidden blocks can be easily prevented once you've played the level a few times and know where the hidden blocks are.
luigiofthebakery wrote:A lot of the deaths from goombas in hidden blocks can be easily prevented once you've played the level a few times and know where the hidden blocks are.
Err, that's not an argument. 1. Most players wouldn't play the level because of the spam again and 2. Knowing where the goombas in the blocks are doesn't make the pointless spam better.
luigiofthebakery wrote:A lot of the deaths from goombas in hidden blocks can be easily prevented once you've played the level a few times and know where the hidden blocks are.
You should always design your level knowing that it should be completeable on a first try. In this level the player never knows where are the invisible blocks or the (unfair) warps that leads you to death, and this is really bad (and surely isn't some sort of "trickery").
luigiofthebakery wrote:There is no NPC placement which results in insta-death or hurts that can't be prevented.
Did you see my video? I've showed many parts where you can get an insta hit or death.
