Page 1 of 5
The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 8:38 am
by Flying Brick
Demo v1.5 is out now!
Now has a more sig-compatible support banner!
Story
The legendary Black Tower, said to herald a great calamity, has risen! With its rise, shadowy creatures have started flooding over the fair Mushroom World. Not only that, but Bowser's on the move again, apparently having a score to settle with a certain red-clad plumber. Can Mario survive both Bowser's army and the mysterious forces of the Black Tower's new master?
There's a little prologue story available here:
http://hijacked-by-ganon.deviantart.com ... -485539382
Another prologue story's out now!
http://hijacked-by-ganon.deviantart.com ... -487186889
Basic structure
The Black Tower consists of six worlds, of which five have, in addition to the normal levels, four secret levels to find. All of these secret levels contain a Star, but one is locked, requiring a number of Stars to enter. The secret levels have no checkpoint, but this is made up for by the levels being a little shorter than the normal levels. Each world also has a Boss Level at the end, which also rewards you with a Star. That makes for a total of five Stars to find in the first five worlds.
(The number in brackets is the number of unfinished levels.)
World 1: The Mushroom Kingdom - 17/17|Boss: DONE
World 2: The Mineworks - 6/13|Boss: DONE (2)
World 3: The Monty Mountains - 0/16|Boss: IN PROGRESS (1)
World 4: The Old Kingdom - 1/18|Boss: NOT STARTED (4)
World 5: Bowser's Kingdom - 2/17|Boss: NOT STARTED (3)
World 6: The Black Tower - 0/??|Boss: NOT STARTED (1)
More screenshots coming soon! (I hope.)
Downloads
World 1 Demo v1.5:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/fj23b ... O+v1.5.zip
Current known issues & bugs
-Hidden Alcove: Death effects for the Dark Cheeps are missing. [FIXED]
-The SMBX Ultimate Graphics Pack and everyone who contributed to it. You guys are awesome
- The New SMBX CGFX Pack and, again, everyone who contributed to it.
-Various sources for the music. I'll include a song list with the episode when it's done.
19/8: Posted this project!
20/8: Completed a couple more levels, added a new screenshot.
25/8: Minor update, finished a level and started some more.
1/9: Uploaded the demo, yay ^^
4/9: Reorganized the project's files and replaced the boss level icon to the SMB3 skull. Also updated the world screenshot with some minor layout changes.
7/9: Uploaded demo v0.2. This version fixes the two major issues. Also, it's actually labeled as a demo this time.
12/9: Added a signature code for people who want to support this project.
25/9: Made a better support banner.
16/10: Uploaded Demo v1.5
If you want to support this project, just copy this code into your sig to get this image in there!
Code: Select all
[url=http://www.smbxgame.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=4989][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/OknkHah.png[/IMG][/url]
Re: The Black Tower
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 8:40 am
by bossedit8
Oh man, this SMBX Project looks very interesting so far. I really like this. Looking forward to this game. Your Level design seems to interest me.
Re: The Black Tower
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 9:34 am
by Socknic
The level with the semi-transparent foliage looks really cool. I look forward to seeing further progress on this project.
Re: The Black Tower
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 12:14 pm
by Flying Brick
bossedit8 wrote:Oh man, this SMBX Project looks very interesting so far. I really like this. Looking forward to this game. Your Level design seems to interest me.
Thanks, I'm hoping to get the demo up soon, but don't take my word for it. I'm not one for sticking to a schedule
When it comes to level design, I follow a similar structure to many levels seen in the Donkey Kong Country games. My individual levels are rather short (I'd say 2-3 minutes when speeding through it), but I always try to make each level worth playing in its own right, be it through the use of gimmicks or unique graphical themes. In short, I want my levels to be remembered as 'That level where you did X' instead of 'That second lava level'.
Re: The Black Tower
Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 3:49 pm
by Flying Brick
Demo's up!
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2014 10:57 pm
by lighthouse64
This has great screenies. much better than what I take .
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:19 am
by Flying Brick
lighthouse64 wrote:This has great screenies. much better than what I take .
Thanks
the screenshots are only as good as the levels themselves, so I'm sure your screenshots will become much better as your level-making skills improve.
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 9:29 am
by lighthouse64
Flying Brick wrote:lighthouse64 wrote:This has great screenies. much better than what I take .
Thanks
the screenshots are only as good as the levels themselves, so I'm sure your screenshots will become much better as your level-making skills improve.
I got a glitch
.
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 9:30 am
by Flying Brick
lighthouse64 wrote:
I got a glitch
.
In the demo? Where?
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 5:28 pm
by dragonfan96
That forest Background looks incredible makes you feel like you're actually there...
that Bricked eye makes think of miracle matter from Kirby 64 is that one of the Bosses?
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 5:33 pm
by Flying Brick
dragonfan96 wrote:That forest Background looks incredible makes you feel like you're actually there...
that Bricked eye makes think of miracle matter from Kirby 64 is that one of the Bosses?
Indeed it is
You won't see it in the current demo version, though. It's the boss of World 2. I won't show the world 1 boss, though. You're gonna have to play the demo to see for yourself!
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 2:04 am
by dragonfan96
Flying Brick wrote:dragonfan96 wrote:That forest Background looks incredible makes you feel like you're actually there...
that Bricked eye makes think of miracle matter from Kirby 64 is that one of the Bosses?
Indeed it is
You won't see it in the current demo version, though. It's the boss of World 2. I won't show the world 1 boss, though. You're gonna have to play the demo to see for yourself!
I already have and its quite fun in level design and atmosphere! I specifically like the Coney Island level with the "Deal with it Thomps"
" and Beatbox'n Koopas!
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 2:25 am
by Flying Brick
Thanks
I'm a big fan of both originality and atmosphere in levels. To me, that's more important than the levels' length. Did you find all the secrets, too? There are five stars to find in that demo.
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 2:33 am
by dragonfan96
Flying Brick wrote:Thanks
I'm a big fan of both originality and atmosphere in levels. To me, that's more important than the levels' length. Did you find all the secrets, too? There are five stars to find in that demo.
Great Minds think alike! In BDP, i made a Casino with functional Mini-games(and snazzy music) oh and an T-rated "Adult" Bar too with music i found that really sets the atmosphere,
Its like a duplicate me i literally Try to think of something You'd never expect or something never done in SMBX
I found 3 out of 5 stars and still searching...(and no i dont "Cheat" and look at the Lvl editor for the answer i think about it b4 giving up)
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 2:45 am
by Flying Brick
One thing I try to do is put the secret exits in a place relative to the secret levels on the world map. So for the Disco Palace, which lies on top of a hill, the secret exit lies on top of something in the preceding level. So if you're stuck, think about where the secret level would be on the map and go from there!
EDIT: By the way, any and all more detailed reviews are welcome! I'd like to know what to improve about my stuff.
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2014 10:00 pm
by Radishl
Let me just tell you ....
THIS IS AWESOME.....
ive never seen a episode this detailed in storyline and gameplay im about to cry.....
Im playing this right now ..... omg the story's so juicy....
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2014 7:12 am
by Flying Brick
Radishl wrote:Let me just tell you ....
THIS IS AWESOME.....
ive never seen a episode this detailed in storyline and gameplay im about to cry.....
Im playing this right now ..... omg the story's so juicy....
Whoa, slow down, mate
glad you like it and all, but don't faint or something. Yeah, the story did undergo quite a bit of development as time went by, and the gameplay is what I pride myself on, often comparing the design choices to thr DKC games.
On a related note, with 7 vote to 1, it has been decided that World 2 will be included in the demo when I finish it! Guess I'd better get to work on it, eh?
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:06 pm
by lighthouse64
Flying Brick wrote:Radishl wrote:Let me just tell you ....
THIS IS AWESOME.....
ive never seen a episode this detailed in storyline and gameplay im about to cry.....
Im playing this right now ..... omg the story's so juicy....
Whoa, slow down, mate
glad you like it and all, but don't faint or something. Yeah, the story did undergo quite a bit of development as time went by, and the gameplay is what I pride myself on, often comparing the design choices to thr DKC games.
On a related note, with 7 vote to 1, it has been decided that World 2 will be included in the demo when I finish it! Guess I'd better get to work on it, eh?
Well I hope you can do that.
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:32 pm
by Flying Brick
Because polls are fun and I want to check lots of opinions, I added another poll, this time asking for a rating out of 5. If any of you want to explain your opinion, you're welcome to do so so we can laugh at you. Like I said, I'm always willing to listen to people on what to improve!
Re: The Black Tower (Demo available!)
Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 1:16 pm
by Mable
Well it looks like the poll has been removed.
