2 Player Mode Design Wise Discussion

[bossedit8]

You maybe already know that in Super Mario Bros. X there is an Option that you can play SMBX with 2 Players rather than 1 Player inside an SMBX Episode for example "The Invasion". During the 2 Player Mode Game, on a Map the first Player can control the Playable Character while the second Player tecnically follows the first Player with (specifically means that the second Players has no Control on the Map). During the Level however, unlike Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World where the 2 Players has to play the Levels individually, in SMBX, both Players can be played in one Level and are be able to react eachother in any sense of way like pushing, jumping, dying and much more. They can even get off the screen pretty far and play freely around in one single Level.

So my little Discussion is about Design Choicements directly about 2 Players in Super Mario Bros. X especially SMBX Levels related since now, most of us are only focusing on 1 Player only especially as of how strict the Power Ups are by playing 2 Player Mode with it. That comes in mind that normally if you are playing this Level in 1 Player Mode, everything is surely fine and plays well but in 2 Player Mode, sometimes there could be a problem with it like that there is no secondary Item to utulize for example the Propeller Block in a Level. If there is only one of them, the secondary Player is unable to get further on in the Level if it is absolutely required which is a bad thing to have. About Power Ups, for sure there are enough to have for 1 Player in mind but for 2 Players it gets kind of problematic for getting further on in a Level. 1UPs are another cause since on 2 Players, if the second Player want's to respawn you need to lose a 1UP in order to do that so if a SMBX Episode has like low amount of chances to earn 1UPs it gets too slim.

I know that the 2 Player Mode is now rarely on the use but even if it is rare, still I want to talk about the Design wise for utulizing the 2 Player Mode well. What I did in "Airship Attack (Luftschiffattacke)" is that some of the Bonus Blocks will spawn 2 Power Ups instead of only 1 which really helps the second Player in mind.

So yeah, I want to discuss about the whole 2 Player Design Wise so this is gonna be a thing for now.

[Radishl]

2player is annoying in my opinion,especially when the screen cuts into two.

[Knux]

I've been talking to a friend recently about doing multiplayer play-throughs of SMBX with commentary possibly.

[litchh]

About Power Ups, for sure there are enough to have for 1 Player in mind but for 2 Players it gets kind of problematic for getting further on in a Level. 1UPs are another cause since on 2 Players, if the second Player want's to respawn you need to lose a 1UP in order to do that so if a SMBX Episode has like low amount of chances to earn 1UPs it gets too slim.

Second player can respawn after his death immediately until first is active, which compensate shared spending.

You also can put an axe for a while on the start location of 2-nd player. I used this method few times

Spoiler: show

[zioy]

I made an old level once with Mario and Peach, utilizing Swap Mushrooms to complete the Level. I'll try to find it.

[bossedit8]

2player is annoying in my opinion,especially when the screen cuts into two.

Well, it surely is more difficult to play a Game with 2 players of course like that you can't see all that much but if you are more careful while playing a Level there should be no problem.

Second player can respawn after his death immediately until first is active, which compensate shared spending.

Sure but if the second player want's to respawn after death, he/she simply has to press the "Jump" Button (it can be more than just that though) but during the time he comes from the sky until the Player, every "Time" styled Events Stops like those Line Platforms and Events that has an Delay in it to trigger another Event.

You also can put an axe for a while on the start location of 2-nd player.

Nice.

I made an old level once with Mario and Peach, utilizing Swap Mushrooms to complete the Level. I'll try to find it.

Interesting but currently I lack Persons who has the ability to play with me in SMBX. This is why my Airship Attack Co-op playthrough is incredible slowly as of now.

[FanofSMBX]

1 and 2 player is like Mario and Link. You pretty much have to design a cool episode for one or a watered down episode for both.

[IntimFuchtler]

Is it possible to implement network gaming, so you can play episodes together, besides the level editor?

[Sambo]

How did you make it so itemboxes drop 2 powerups like on NSMBWii?

[RzFx]

How did you make it so itemboxes drop 2 powerups like on NSMBWii?

Hope you understand me:

Create a layer for the powerups and create an event to show the powerups. Select the layer and put the first item above the itembox, hide the layer and then put the second item in the same spot (if they're two mushrooms, put one to move to the left and the other to the right). After that, show the layer and hide it again.
In the itembox block events, set "Hit" to the event you've created, to show the powerups layer.

[MECHDRAGON777]

Is it possible to implement network gaming, so you can play episodes together, besides the level editor?

If someone ever makes a program to allow this, I want to be one if the first two people to test it!

Three years ago, all if my bad levels were styled to two players!

[HunnyBon]

You know, if LunaDLL only works for player 1, would it be possible to make a "Boss" for battle mode that player one can play as? think of it, player 1 can have buffs of some sort with their lives dropped to 1, and a variable can be used that drops down when player 1's Mercy Time (When Mario/Co. blink and are invincible) is active. For an example...

Code: Select all

#-1
// Keep player in mushroom form
PlayerMemSet,0,0x112,2,0,1,w
// Set player 1's initial health to 3
SetVar,0,0,3,0,1,Player1Health

#0
// When player 1 gets hit (Detected via the Mercy timer variable in the RAM location 0x140)
OnPlayerMem,0x140,150,0,1000

#1000
// subtract Player 1's health (the variable) by 1

SetVar,0,2,1,0,1,Player1Health
// Keep player in mushroom form
PlayerMemSet,0,0x112,2,0,1,w
// If the "Player1Health" variable equals 0, activate event 1,001
IfVar,0,2,2,1001,1,Player1Health

#1001
Kill,0,0,0,0,1,0

The creator of the Battle map can of course create the benefits and such.
PS: I have no idea if this should be here or lunadll discussion >w<

[bossedit8]

Well, you can do it anyway.

Also, I rarely see Levels nowadays that focuses on 2 Players like solving a Level with 2 Players (if there is also a way to beat the Level with 1 Player aswell and not only 2 Players) to get secrets like in "The Invasion 2" that there is one Level that is in the Ice World at the SMB Underground that you Need a Boot/Yoshi to get up a pipe to get to the secret Exit but also you can do this in 2 Players in a fast matter so you don't have to pick up a Boot/Yoshi in a different Level only to get the secret Exit. To me, that is a clever move to obtain a high to reach pipe like that.

[12Me21]

I think the main problem with 2player is keyboard ghosting. For example, I play SMBX with my cousin a lot, and sometimes I have to tell him to not press any buttons so I can pick up an item (like an underground item, or a key), since it requires about 3 buttons (the run button, jump button, and movement buttons)

[Mivixion]

^

You can fix that by using a USB controller for one of the players (if you have one lying around).

[12Me21]

^

You can fix that by using a USB controller for one of the players (if you have one lying around).

That's a good idea, but at the time, I didn't have one, and some people still don't, so ghosting can still cause problems for some people

[Mivixion]

Do you have an Xbox or PlayStation with USB controllers? Those work as well.
Even if you don't, something like this wouldn't be a bad investment (or a better, more expensive one).

[Sambo]

How did you make it so itemboxes drop 2 powerups like on NSMBWii?

Hope you understand me:

Create a layer for the powerups and create an event to show the powerups. Select the layer and put the first item above the itembox, hide the layer and then put the second item in the same spot (if they're two mushrooms, put one to move to the left and the other to the right). After that, show the layer and hide it again.
In the itembox block events, set "Hit" to the event you've created, to show the powerups layer.

It only works with mushrooms? Darn it. I'll have to devise a way to do it with lunaDll.

[MacheTheFerret]

How did you make it so itemboxes drop 2 powerups like on NSMBWii?

Hope you understand me:

Create a layer for the powerups and create an event to show the powerups. Select the layer and put the first item above the itembox, hide the layer and then put the second item in the same spot (if they're two mushrooms, put one to move to the left and the other to the right). After that, show the layer and hide it again.
In the itembox block events, set "Hit" to the event you've created, to show the powerups layer.

It only works with mushrooms? Darn it. I'll have to devise a way to do it with lunaDll.

For powerups that don't move on their own, create them the same way, except make then generators that come out of the side of the question mark block that disappear after the first powerup is spawned.
Meaning, you'd hit the block, and, let's say, a fire flower generated out of teach side of the block, and only did this once.

[Eternity]

Would be interesting to see levels actually based on two-player mode, which can only be cleared by using it. Branching paths for player 1 and player 2, where, for example, P1's path is blocked by brown blocks and P2 has to find a P-Switch.