Star factory (woah, creative name!)

[Waddle]

Hi.

Spoiler: show

Spoiler: show

http://www.mediafire.com/download/7jkys ... dated).zip

enjoy.
UPDAAAAATE:
-New areas
-Tweaked graphics
-better boss
and more!
also, new screens of doom.

[HeroLinik]

Judging by that screenshot alone it appears as though a lot of effort has been put into it, although I see a graphical flaw: the BGO decorations that go inside the cloud tileset aren't the same shade of white as the cloud tileset itself. You might need to fix that.

[Waddle]

Judging by that screenshot alone it appears as though a lot of effort has been put into it, although I see a graphical flaw: the BGO decorations that go inside the cloud tileset aren't the same shade of white as the cloud tileset itself. You might need to fix that.

Really? Oh. Anyway, I coloured those myself, so I guess I should fix 'em.

[Waddle]

Planning in expanding this level after the boss fight, it's gonna be amazing :3

[Core]

UNOFFICAL REVIEW!

Ok.. looks so nice! are gameplay amazing. but you have problems...

Spoiler: show

This looks weird... but whatever?
What about graphics? all recolored in smb3! And fog... and about design: so so far! i hope you will make good levels...

7/10 - Pretty Good

[Waddle]

UNOFFICAL REVIEW!

Ok.. looks so nice! are gameplay amazing. but you have problems...

Spoiler: show

This looks weird... but whatever?
What about graphics? all recolored in smb3! And fog... and about design: so so far! i hope you will make good levels...

7/10 - Pretty Good

Ya think? Ill darken the fences. Also, please write a bit more in your review, like NPC placement, gameplay, Music, etc.

[Core]

@WaddleDerp: uhm... ok i will wrote like you wanna.

[Waddle]

New things! yay! see main post

[underFlo]

DID YOU SRSLY JUST UPDATE IT
I WAS ABOUT TO WRITE A REVIEW AAAH

[underFlo]

Level is unbeatablmecha-Koppas

[Waddle]

Level is unbeatable, in Section 3 there are blocks missing in a layer and thus the blocks don't move. Easy fix, but you might wanna fix that.

Found it out already, but my laptop crashed. I'm sorry, but ill do it tomorrow. I promise.

[underFlo]

]So, now my unofficial Review:

Star Factory by Waddle Derp

Looks

The tilesets mesh really well, but I dislike how you can still kick the Bone Beetles after you jumped on them (only use one of Dry Bones/Bone Beetles) and the Dry Bones and Bone Beetles are a little dark and sometimes mesh with the background. Also, I kinda feel like the black outline on the white grass looks pretty weird. The orange pipe also has a black mask, which hides part of a bush in section one.
There is a pretty big variety of BGOs and such, and there aren't really any other flaws regarding the looks aside from maybe a bit monotone background. So, for Looks you get

7.5/10

Design & Gameplay (counts double)

The main gimmick is platforms that raise and fall. And also a helicopter block thing with lava for some reason.
First, the normal exit is useless. There is absolutely no point in putting it there since it isn't part of a split path or anything. Also, I feel like the split paths are just there becasue the level has to be nonlinear - which it doesn't have to imo. You could've just put the lava section after the fire section (which would also make kinda sense) and then the bossfight. Section 3 is near-impossible without a Tanooki. At first, you get no indication at all that the clouds rise and fall. My first time doing this, I just died because there was no indication whatsoever there (also some blocks weren't in the moving layer which made it even more impossible and you had to fix that manually). You had accomplished the SMB3 bridge blocks as the moving layer, why change that? Heck, there even are bridge blocks that don't move at all! Try being more consistent there. Timing the jump to get back on afte rpressing the switch is really hard without Tanooki. I know it's optional, but there's no indication it's optional. Chances are the player already saw Section 7 being blocked by Switch Blocks, which makes them think Section 3 is also required. Also, some kind of indication right before they fall (like flashing) would be nice, since sometimes when I arrive at these they are up but I don't know if they will fall down the next second or just got up. This also lead to some deaths. The oil leak fire NPC is killable and the animation could confuse some, since the whole NPC hurts and not just where there's visible fire. Maybe make NPCs that move up and down via layers or just make it a consistent height. The Yoshi coins were just near the road and most times there was no danger, thinking or whatsoever involved in getting them. Also, the fact that the cloud sizable looks just the same as cloud blocks kinda confused me the first time through. The secret with a Tanooki Suit, 2 1-Ups and a Yoshi coin contained way too much reward for so little efort you have to put into getting there. Maybe only put one of these there.
After you hit the section 3 Switch Block, there's a SMB3 goal you wouldn't even have needed the Switch for to get in (which is pretty useless) and you can continue onwards to the already mentioned oil leak section with bridges that don't fall down. Consistency. Aside from the oil leak fire problem I've already mentioned this section is pretty fun. Then there's a bossfight with a recolored Bowser Jr.. Nothing new, but doesn't do anything wrong, just the arena feels kinda cramped.
The section with the propellor block feels like a gimmick (dodging Lava with a propeller block) that doesn't fit the level itself. The section itself is pretty basic, even though I had a hard time figuring out the first jump. Then you get a star and - wait... you gotta do it again? That seems like an attempt to feel nonlinear, but to me it's just annoying.

The NPC placement is my personal highlight of the level, aswell as the level design that didn't revolve around gimmicks or trying to be nonlinear. There weren't any mistakes worth pointing out.

So, as a combined grade of everything said above, this level gets a

6.25/10

Verdict

This level was mostly fun and engaging, but some parts just weren't too great and felt out of place. This isn't a bad level by any means, but the biggest problem in this level is to me that it tries to be a nonlinear level but feels like a linear level. I feel lile this would've worked out way better as a more linear level. Cut Section 3 and all instances of Switch blocks and make it more straightforward. Maybe make the player choose between taking the Laval propeller section and the Oil Leak section to add a little bit of nonlinearity. But the NPC placement which is very sweet, nice CGFX and some parts with good level design still make this level stand out. So, my final verdict for this level is:

6.67/10

Definitely worth playing, but a few flaws keep it from being great. Recommended for users that want to see more propeller block coverage and about everyone else.

[Waddle]

Thanks for the review. And, as you said, ill make it more linear. I WONT remove section 3 though, it'll be a bonus section. Also, thanks for the review Bud! Also, the fact that you can kick around the boney beetle corpse isn't fixable. It replaces the galoomba, and I can either remove the entire npc OR have the knocked over galoomba on noblockcollision=1, which would make a neat dying effect, but it wouldn't be a BONEY beetle anymore.
So Yeah.

[underFlo]

Thanks for the review. And, as you said, ill make it more linear. I WONT remove section 3 though, it'll be a bonus section. Also, thanks for the review Bud! Also, the fact that you can kick around the boney beetle corpse isn't fixable. It replaces the galoomba, and I can either remove the entire npc OR have the knocked over galoomba on noblockcollision=1, which would make a neat dying effect, but it wouldn't be a BONEY beetle anymore.
So Yeah.

If it doesn't work, don't include it. Use either Dry Bones or Boney Beetle.

[Waddle]

Thanks for the review. And, as you said, ill make it more linear. I WONT remove section 3 though, it'll be a bonus section. Also, thanks for the review Bud! Also, the fact that you can kick around the boney beetle corpse isn't fixable. It replaces the galoomba, and I can either remove the entire npc OR have the knocked over galoomba on noblockcollision=1, which would make a neat dying effect, but it wouldn't be a BONEY beetle anymore.
So Yeah.

If it doesn't work, don't include it. Use either Dry Bones or Boney Beetle.

I dont wanna

[underFlo]

Thanks for the review. And, as you said, ill make it more linear. I WONT remove section 3 though, it'll be a bonus section. Also, thanks for the review Bud! Also, the fact that you can kick around the boney beetle corpse isn't fixable. It replaces the galoomba, and I can either remove the entire npc OR have the knocked over galoomba on noblockcollision=1, which would make a neat dying effect, but it wouldn't be a BONEY beetle anymore.
So Yeah.

If it doesn't work, don't include it. Use either Dry Bones or Boney Beetle.

I dont wanna

Yeah, it's not game-breaking by any means, it was just kinda strange that you're able to kill enemies with a bone beetle's Bones.

[Waddle]

Yeah, it's not game-breaking by any means, it was just kinda strange that you're able to kill enemies with a bone beetle's Bones.

K. Ill remove it. Have any suggestions for what other 'factory' npc I could make? Only a dry bones seems kinda bland..

[underFlo]

Maybe Mecha-Koopas?
*cough* mine *cough*