Mineshaft of Bounciness (Final main update v1.3 release)

'Twas the Choco Latte Contest 2022.
cato
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Mineshaft of Bounciness (Final main update v1.3 release)

Postby cato » Tue Aug 02, 2022 9:05 am

Finished level. I will post updates if needed.

Character: Mario (automatic)
Level name: Mineshaft of Bounciness (previously Iluvballs)
Gimmick: Bouncy Yin Yang Balls
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Length: 4 sections + 1 boss

Before playing the level, please go over the Readme file, in which I left the things I potentially add or do. Some setups are unnatural and repetitive, and my idea for more setups is drying. Just play test the level to see if everything is working fine. If you like, please give any suggestions on the following:
  • Level length (especially now with everything)
  • Level difficulty
  • Ideas of setups in terms of quality and quantity
  • Overall level design (blocks, BGOs, effects, etc)
  • Additional suggestions
  • Problems or difficulties that you encountered


Download: Changelog:
Spoiler: show
v1.3 Last main content update
- Updated the Oxygen meter's visual to make it refill bit by bit graphically
- Make darkness consistent in every section (isn't previously for sections 3 and 5)
- Altered the 1st Star Coin section
- Changed some setups in the 4th section
- Added back dialogues with edits
- Added a sign to inform the properties of the Tiltlifts
- Moved the credit and changelog file to the folder instead of the readme file to avoid spoilers

v1.2 Undo content from v2.0
- Moved most new content onto a separate, non-contest release (harder boss included) (Deice and Enjl)
- Changed level name to "
- Combined and changed setups from both A and B sections (Enjl)
- Changed Plonker's properties to only be spin jumpable (Enjl)
- Added a sign to inform the properties of the Yin Yang balls (I rather not removing the random colors of the Yin Yang balls)
- Tiltlift section became mandatory
- Changed the speed of Fog parallax in the oxygen section
- Removed "you-know-what" jokes and with added clarity (Deice and Enjl)
(may change from "Yin Yang Balls" to "Yin Yang Orbs" if very problematic)
- Changed boss platforms in Phrase 2 to avoid "hiding" (Deice)

v2.0 Big content release
- Doubled the size of the level with parallel, more difficult setups
- Added section
- Added savedata and gamedata allowing the player to complete a more complex (optional) version of the level
- Changed the exit into an Orb
- Boss now has dialogues and skipped on the second attempt


v1.01 patch
- Fixed Phrase 2 attack of the boss fight to avoid boredom (needed to stall time for the music) (Deice)
- Additional setups from section 3 for the Red Yin Yang orbs (Deice)

v1.0 Real release
- Plonker circular hitbox fixed (Deice)
- Randomize ball sprite color (Thanks Deice and Marioman2007 for the help)
- Plonker sound effect changed (Drifloon)
- Bowser Cannon ball sprite changed
- Setups fixing
- Reducing the opacity of the fog in section 4 (Deice and Drifloon)
- Full Boss completion (with sprites)
- Full-level completion
- Additional setups from section 1 and section 4
- Moved the Magatama closer to the alternative path to avoid confusion (Drifloon)

v0.1 Phototype release: Missing setups/segments, essentials scripts, and mostly unfinished level
Last edited by cato on Sat Aug 20, 2022 9:55 am, edited 9 times in total.

deice
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Re: I love balls (Prototype release)

Postby deice » Tue Aug 02, 2022 1:41 pm

as requested, categorical breakdown

level length:
absolutely zero issues. none of the sections drag on, and the obstacles are spaced very nicely. as long as the boss doesn't end up being a chore, i wouldn't change a thing.

level difficulty:
fine for the most part. nothing really feels cheap, and the star coin bonus stuff is woven in very nicely with the rest of the challenges. one thing that does create a small bit of artificial difficulty is the fact that the bouncing yin-yangs seem to have a square hitbox that looks approximately like this:
Spoiler: show
Image
and those corners have a very easy time clipping you if you don't exercise extreme caution when jumping on them from the side. maybe you can look into making the balls harmless and adding a circle collider for player interactions.

setups:
overall pretty varied and fun. i do have one major gripe here however and it's the red fellas. every single encounter with one is either:
  • hurry to a mostly unobstructed safe spot and continue
  • trigger one and then wait inside a once again easily accessible safe spot
there is one that i liked, the one near the end of the magatama section where there's three of them and you are rewarded for either saving a powerup (you can just tank them) or saving your oxygen (you can wait it out) but if you're not going for the third star coin once again the play is to just breeze on through. though, it is hard to add more variety without changing how the npc functions because of the random nature of the footballs.

visuals:
i have no aesthetic sense, so from a purely functional standpoint: maybe make the fog in the third section less opaque, it makes it a little difficult to distinguish ladders as-is.

other:
bouncypits and coyotime are not "essential" scripts and don't let anybody gaslight you into thinking otherwise.

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Re: I love balls (Prototype release)

Postby Radiance » Sat Aug 06, 2022 5:37 am

This is a nitpicky review but before that, I'll say that I love this setup the most:

Image

It shows that the NPCs won't stop moving even when you are in forced state which will also apply during the oxygen section (oxygen meter still drops even in forced state). It's pretty subtle but it's a neat attention to detail. I also liked the setup deice pointed out.

If this is unintentional and I'm overthinking this, use this.

Code: Select all

if player.forcedState == 0 then
	-- count

Also, the gameplay switches to fast and slow gameplay and the vertical section gives the player both choices which is nice.


Anyway, here are my nitpicks.

  • I really thought the blue balls can't be jumped because it creates the same landing sound as the bowling ball, maybe some bouncy ball SFX will work better to show that they're jumpable.
  • The ladder blends too well with the background imo which can make the traversing really hard considering there's also darkness involved. Maybe darken the other BGO poles so the ladder will stand out?
    Image
  • The hitbox of the bowling ball is both a blessing and a curse. It makes the player safer from the bowling ball queue but it also makes it harder to spinjump above them which makes the second star coin unfair.
    Image
  • The fog in the last section can be a bit dizzying when you alternate on moving and not moving. Iirc it's just a parallax thing you can't avoid but lowering the opacity to make it better to look at.
    Image
  • Also, this setup feels weird, idk why. Maybe there's a magatama when backtracking but there's also a magatama right after the backtrack point. The pipe is probably sufficient to show that there's a coin down in this pipe but the magatama shows that this is the main route. idk maybe it's just me
    Image
The first section is nice but there are some difficulty spikes (especially the three block wide gap with low ceiling jump). I love the vertical section especially the upper half (the ladder climb). And the last section is pretty decent aside from the visuals.

cato
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Re: I love balls (v1.0 release w/ boss)

Postby cato » Wed Aug 10, 2022 9:03 am

Version 1.0 has been released. Changes made can be viewed below
Spoiler: show
- Plonker circular hitbox fixed (Deice)
- Randomize ball sprite color (Thanks Deice and Marioman2007 for the help)
- Plonker sound effect changed (Drifloon)
- Bowser Cannon ball sprite changed
- Setups fixing
- Reducing opacity of the fog in section 4 (Deice and Drifloon)
- Full Boss completion (with sprites)
- Full level completion
- Additional setups from section 1 and section 4
- Moved the Magatama closer to the alternative path to avoid confusion (Drifloon)

deice
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Re: I love balls (v1.0 release w/ boss)

Postby deice » Wed Aug 10, 2022 1:12 pm

great work finishing the level! the new setups added are fun, the issues were addressed in a good way, and while i'm still personally not the biggest fan of the red fellas, it's not like i've suggested a better alternative so i'll withhold further complaints.

the boss is neat. not spectacular but a good way to close the level out. the only suggestion i would make is to maybe reduce the wait time at the beginning of phase 2, because the player just kinda isn't doing anything for a hot minute and the challenge is dismissable. i assume it's to accustom the player to the yin-yangs bouncing on those particular slopes, but imo the level does a good job with that so it's on the player if they can't anticipate the trajectory.

overall good luck in the contest ^^

cato
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Re: I love balls (Big 2.0 release w/ additional section and difficult setups)

Postby cato » Wed Aug 17, 2022 2:20 pm

Version 2.0 is out and it is a massive update! Go check it out!
Spoiler: show
v2.0 Big content release
- Doubled the size of the level with parallel, more difficult setups
- Added an additional section
- Added savedata and gamedata allowing the player to complete a harder (optional) version of the level
- Changed the exit into a Orb
- Boss now has dialogues and skipped on the second attempt
Tell me if there is any serious problems, such as something breaking or not working. If you have any suggestions, be explicit about it.

Emral
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Re: I love balls (Big 2.0 release w/ additional section and difficult setups)

Postby Emral » Wed Aug 17, 2022 8:34 pm

so you basically tripled/quadrupled the time judges are required to spend on the level by adding a long secret exit to an already on-the-long-side level. it kind of ruins the pacing and puts in a lot of repeat content that make the individual sections as they were in the regular exit less interesting. the arrow lift section was kind of interesting, but players who quit after the regular exit won't see it used.
choose your favourite version of each setup and merge the two runs maybe? could add more powerups/checkpoints if it's too hard afterwards.

general recommendations:
- in the breathing section, the fog parallax should not be moving faster than the foreground
- the contrast between grey and cyan in the breath meter is pretty hard to spot at a glance. make the grey darker perhaps, or use a reddish hue?
- i was giving you the benefit of the doubt about the innuendo in the level name, but doubling down on it in the final conversation feels... icky. there are kids around, and remember that forum rules like "no sexual content" apply to levels as well. i suggest removing any and all innuendos.
- the circular npcs are hard to parse. there are three behaviours: spinjumpable, regular jumpable, and stompable. visually and in terms of movement, they are all similar. i don't know what the best approach is to remedy this, but it seems like a case where sprite replacements make the gameplay less good

sidenote: please note that as your readme is right now, it will be shortened before given to the judges/added to the level pack. judges read these before playing the levels, so putting praise other people gave you (presumably to try and sway judge opinion?) and insinuating that the competition is rigged from the start strike me as rather unsportsmanlike additions.

deice
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Re: I love balls (Big 2.0 release w/ additional section and difficult setups)

Postby deice » Thu Aug 18, 2022 7:47 am

while i will say that i did quite like the extra hard mode version of the level, i would agree with enjl that in a contest level it might be stretching the total length out a bit too much. there's nothing wrong with any of the setups themselves though (the one where you bounce on the red wheel ghosts is especially refreshing compared to the other setups featuring those guys) and in another setting (standalone level or part of an episode) this would present no issues whatsoever.

i do have one major complaint about the hard mode boss and that is that removing one throw block and then ducking under the 1F0 tiles lets you completely trivialize the first two phases. the lower placement of the throw blocks makes it even less threatening than the normal boss where ducking would keep you safe from the orbs but most of the time you'd still have to leave your hiding spot to get a hit in. the hard mode boss' legs being an extended hurtbox though makes this unnecessary. not sure whether you have the time to fix this but i might as well inform you.

as for the balls jokes, i too would advocate for toning them down, not to account for the people who aren't even old enough to use the forums, but because they exude this specific type of humor where the entire punchline is "haha look it's the funny word" and simply don't invoke laughter when repeated like 8 times in one dialogue sequence (though maybe that's just me cause i've seen a million balls jokes with that character already).

(also, a touhou-themed smbx level with an optional hard mode that isn't getting slammed for unreasonable difficulty? you love to see it, rpgfan4 you have been avenged)

cato
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Re: Mineshaft of Bounciness (Final main update v1.3 release)

Postby cato » Sat Aug 20, 2022 9:51 am

Addressed a lot of issues by Deice and Enjl regarding the length and the "you-know-what" dialogues. It is likely to be the final update about the main content. Small patches will be out if there are problems that I can fix within the last few hours/days. Play test the level when you can. It should be at an acceptable length now.

Changelog:
Spoiler: show
v1.3 Last main content update
- Updated the Oxygen meter's visual to make it refill bit by bit graphically
- Make darkness consistent in every section (isn't previously for sections 3 and 5)
- Altered the 1st Star Coin section
- Changed some setups in the 4th section
- Added back dialogues with edits
- Added a sign to inform the properties of the Tiltlifts
- Moved the credit and changelog file to the folder instead of the readme file to avoid spoilers

v1.2 Undo content from v2.0
- Moved most new content onto a separate, non-contest release (harder boss included) (Deice and Enjl)
- Changed level name to "
- Combined and changed setups from both A and B sections (Enjl)
- Changed Plonker's properties to only be spin jumpable (Enjl)
- Added a sign to inform the properties of the Yin Yang balls (I rather not removing the random colors of the Yin Yang balls)
- Tiltlift section became mandatory
- Changed the speed of Fog parallax in the oxygen section
- Removed "you-know-what" jokes and with added clarity (Deice and Enjl)
(may change from "Yin Yang Balls" to "Yin Yang Orbs" if very problematic)
- Changed boss platforms in Phrase 2 to avoid "hiding" (Deice)


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