Pier Trouble

[Dragonmaster146]

Hurray for not coming up with a creative name for a creative level yet again. Yeah but anyways, this is my latest and shortest(In my opinion) level submitted to the SMBX Community.

Spoiler: show

DL: https://www.mediafire.com/?75tk4tcme5dl390

[bossedit8]

My Playthrough:



Original YouTube Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27Ogx52g3ok

[Enjl]

Dang this must've taken a long time to get all the eyecandy right. But I think it was worth it. Your level is really appealing.
The length is fine IMO. What I have to complain about is that occasionaly you lose enemies behind the fences and have to wait for them before progressing. Also, why aren't the toads small?

[bossedit8]

...why aren't the toads small?

Maybe because those are our real living (Friendly) and not with the whole enemies and so on.

[Darkonius Mavakar]

I just wanna say that i really liked the fact that you've chosen the GBA version of DKC3's plank music.
And those enemies are so cute that i didn't even kill them

[bossedit8]

...those enemies are so cute that i didn't even kill them

But those are enemies that are still trying to kill you. I hope you still find the Lava Lotus annoying and the Hammer Brother.

[D4rknova]

Fantastic level i enjoyed it the music sounds like from donkey kong same for the level design it looks like the pier level on the third level on donkey kong country 3

[Cacazk]

This level reminds me of Super Donkey Kong 3. Loved the graphics. And the idea of shrunken npcs is genius! You have a lot to convey cratividade!

[HeroLinik]

Level Review #12: Pier Trouble by Dragonmaster146

Reviewed by castlewars.

Level Design: 7.8/10
I don't know what's up with all the crowded stuff that's everywhere but using small NPCs and blocks was really creative and an innovative idea as I haven't seen a level that uses this before. However it still possesses the qualities of a good level even if it were regular size but a bit better due to your idea, particularly as the level was really decorated above anything else. And while we continue on the thread of creative ideas the Toad that has the golden hat was a cool checkpoint idea, but I'll mention more about this later. Well talking of level structure it actually starts out as a simple linear level like some of the simple linear levels like Foliage Forest in the Revived contest. However it actually is more nonlinear than it seems because part of the quest involves having to seek out a hidden key and then using it to gain access to the lower part of the level to seek out more Red Coins, which also added to the nonlinearity curve. However, it feels like the level is actually too decorated as a lot of the BGOs are foregrounded meaning that it's really hard to see something that might be needed to complete the level like a Red Coin, and yet again I'll further this part when we talk about NPC placement. Also some of the blocks are placed really high that they require a well-timed jump above anything else, and in one case you had to jump on a Paratroopa which can come hidden behind the bars and pounce on the player. Some of the sections were pretty cramped as well.

Music: 4.5/5
The DKC3 track you used was really fitting in my opinion and the sounds used can mimic someone walking on the wooden supports of the level giving the idea of adventure, but the problem is not with the track itself, but the fact that it's too quiet, which you can't help, but also the problem that there's a long gap at the beginning of the track before it actually starts. Using a music editor like Audacity can fix this problem.

Graphics: 8.5/10
The graphics actually were really cool and were something innovative that I haven't seen before. Coupled with the very small enemies throughout the level, they actually can give a lot of other levels a run for their money and make yours stand out as I haven't really seen many levels with small type before. The blocks came with nice BGO versions with cool decorative properties, but to be exact everything decorated the level in a way, including the NPCs. The level also uses transparent water and this gives a more realistic feel to water as it would have been if you didn't use it. However, a lot of the graphics used are really busy and a lot of them are foregrounded. This means that everything - including Mario - will end up slipping behind the background and cannot be seen. Although it's only just a thin bar that is heavily foregrounded there are loads of them so an enemy NPC can come up unguarded and pounce, in particular the area just after the first Hammer Bro. - I died there three times when trying to beat the level. Also, the small NPC powerups have incorrect frames as well; if you were lucky enough to have kept your Fire Flower past the checkpoint and acquired the second one so it goes into the item stock, releasing it can cause the frames to display oddly producing the effect of something like two Fire Flowers stacked on top of each other. Other than that, there is actually loads to talk about when it comes to the graphics, but I liked the ropes and also there were no cut-offs or clashes everywhere as nothing stood out in a bad way.

NPC Placement: 7.5/10
Things start going downhill once again when NPCs end up getting reviewed. Well let's just talk about the good sides: the small enemies was something that I really liked about the level because it's quite a new idea, and also the checkpoint was quite coolly executed as well: using an invisible tape and then sticking an NPC toad over it was a cool idea, but if you play Beetle Block Burrow they've used a smaller version of a Goal Panel and you could put it in an alcove below the main path and include it as it would have fitted with the small theme. Nevertheless it was still a brilliant idea. About the Red Coin idea...there are actually a few Red Coins that are impossible to get like the one just before the two Paratroopas and the Hammer Bro. and blue Spike. On the topic of Spikes having multicoloured variants was a cool idea because it gives the feel of variety - and they're small as well. However the small NPCs can be a bit of a hindrance as well, particularly as there is simply just too much decoration in the level. You cannot often see an enemy coming up until you notice it and you end up getting killed by it - and this can include a hidden Red Coin as well. Try cutting down on NPCs that are hidden behind any busy decoration for this very reason. But don't despair much as NPCs actually played a part in the nonlinearity curve as a key was necessary to obtain a few Red Coins in the level, and the Red Coins were a focal part of the level.

Overall Result: 7.7/10 (Level Status: Pretty Good)
That is still a cool level regardless of the score. That's all I have to say.