I Need Advice for Creating Custom Levels in SMBX

[komyash]

Hello there,

I am new to the SMBX community and I have been diving into creating my own custom levels. I am really excited about the possibilities; but I am also a bit overwhelmed by the tools and resources available. I have watched a few tutorials on YouTube and browsed through the official documentation; but I still have some questions.

First; I would love to hear about any tips or best practices you all have when it comes to designing engaging levels. What are some common pitfalls to avoid; especially for beginners? I want to make sure that my levels are not only fun but also challenging in a fair way.

Additionally; I have been experimenting with the different tile sets and enemies available in the editor. Are there any specific combinations or themes that you have found to work particularly well? I am interested in hearing about your favorite level designs and the thought process behind them.

Also; I have gone through this post; which definitely helped me out a lot

Lastly; if there are any resources like forums; websites; or Discord servers that you recommend for getting feedback on level design; I would greatly appreciate it. I really want to connect with other creators and share my work while also learning from others.

Thank you all in advance for your help and assistance.

[John Nameless]

Some common pitfalls are making levels way too long out of fear of making them really short & being overly formulaic with their level design + being scared of experimenting due to not wanting to make something ""bad"", to name a few.

However I would like to say that for a new person, don't worry about making something ""bad"" & just have fun learning how the engine works.
Just keep experimenting with the brand new tools/toys you're given & even if it's ""bad"" you'll at the very least get some (usually nice & constructive) critiques that'll be sure to help you along your way, compared to being scared to make something bad & receiving no critiques or advice at all.

Treat it like it's a sandbox & mess around with whatever you find cool. You might even finding a cool setup or two that could be the catalyst for an idea for a new level. That's certainly how I usually find ideas for my own levels.

Also regarding finding other sites in getting feedback there's always the SMBX Discord server you can try joining: viewtopic.php?t=21530

[Tetri the Yumemi Fan]

am not sure if you want to either do single levels or whole episode, so there are things that will help you with it if you want to make custom levels for your episode or just single levels
SINGLE LEVELS
•custom graphic is recommended only if you want to hype your level, like to make it really cool etc, but not recommended if you want just to make the level for fun, unless you have fun creating level with cool graphic
thats all i know
•background for levels is extremaly neccessary, but not good when overused

FOR WHOLE EPISODE (this also can be recommended to single levels)
•custom graphic will encourage people to download and play your map very optional
•custom music will encourage others minimally (i think) to not stop playing the level
•ignore hate, dont let others discourage you from doing what you want and like to do
•if negative opinion is respectful then its better if you actually look at it, but if its something that someone wants you to make type/style of levels you dont want to then just dont do something you dont want to do
• background for levels is extremaly neccessary, but not good when overused
• try publishing demo of episode or single levels to let others give some advices or tips towards the progress of your episode

remember everything is just tips, theyre all optional (excluding ignoring hate one) and its your choice how you make your levels, its just some basic recommendations

[Idunn]

"•ignore hate, dont let others discourage you from doing what you want and like to do"
I think hate is being confused with giving someone critic or feedback on what they could improve.
I barely have seen people actively hate on someone for what they make here.

[Saltlord]

Same here, but I do think it's worth mentioning that there is a difference between accepting criticism and completely caving in to advice that you ultimately do not agree with. Not all criticism is born equal! Just because someone says that they have an idea in mind that'd improve your project/level/whatever does not mean that they actually do. So, yeah, "do what you want and like to do" is a takeaway I absolutely agree with.

[Tetri the Yumemi Fan]

"•ignore hate, dont let others discourage you from doing what you want and like to do"
I think hate is being confused with giving someone critic or feedback on what they could improve.
I barely have seen people actively hate on someone for what they make here.

no i mean that if someone actually want to do it, i dont say it is common here, just warning him
also i mean hate like in hate like if someone said something offending, discouraging etc

[Idunn]

Same here, but I do think it's worth mentioning that there is a difference between accepting criticism and completely caving in to advice that you ultimately do not agree with. Not all criticism is born equal! Just because someone says that they have an idea in mind that'd improve your project/level/whatever does not mean that they actually do. So, yeah, "do what you want and like to do" is a takeaway I absolutely agree with.

I agree with this a lot, I think people caving in is also what killed a lot of projects that were going to be developed more.