Secluded Sanctuary

[zioy]

Spoiler: show

https://www.mediafire.com/?h7t4o9k0bh8ezk0

[crusher169]

wheres the download link?

[zioy]

wheres the download link?

Click the pic to download.

[Waddle]

Because writing something in your post is too mainstream

[underFlo]

Fixed.

[h2643]

Kinda surprising that nobody told me this when I created a topic for SMB1 Recolored SMW Grasslands, it had a picture-download too.
Anyway, the level looks a bit simple, add a bit more BGOs maybe?

[bossedit8]

Playthrough made:



Original Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nD3mK80e2o

---

@bossedit8's Review - Secluded Sanctuary - Created by @krazykat

Design Usage:
Your Design-Point of this Level were really nice for a Forest Type Level like this. We are walking with a complete covered sealing of Grass which was nice but that just covers the Area with just plain Blocks like that. It would of been better to remove it since they have tecnically no purpose for having all of those inside blocks to be extended like that. At least remove the few rows of it so it doesn't waste a lot of blocks or use sizeable Blocks or better yet, background objects aswell to prevent from using a lot of blocks covering the Area (you can see it in the debugger as of how much it has been used in this Level). Your platforming terrain was neat for having Wooden Logs every now and then and you even used the SMB2 Grass to spice it up a bit for having a more different theme to it but I see a little Error at the SMB2 grassy slopes since the Mask isn't correct if you see closely. What I also do not like is how those blocks with the SMB2 Grass is on the top are a little bit lighter since sometimes I think they are blocks or background objects you can go through them but in reality is not but the regular sizable block has the same color at the SMW Grassy Dirt tiles so that can be a bit confusing for new players. Better swap them around like that the lighter ones are go throughable and the other ones not. Also, there are '?' Blocks that are out of reach at the bottom. I don't naturally get as of why you made it so they are out of reach without the Leaf, Tanooki Suit, Shells or any kind of devices that will hit them right under the pit. They have Coins inside them anyway so why put them there that is incredible hard to reach? Better reward something more useful if it is hard to reach. The rest of it was ok like the Music Choicement you put it in and the Design but it surely gets kind of repetitive near the end even for a different type of terrain you did in this Level. Secrets would be nice though.
Point Rating: 3.5

NPC Placements:
Your NPC Placements were ok to nice. Your Enemies are pretty sandard for this Level for giving the player a more rewardful of challenges but better add at least some red Goombas, Para-Goombas and maybe if you want a Hammer Brother since with this current loadout it seems mostly the same kind of enemy to fight through it. Your Coin Placements were very nice. Nothing wrong to it except as I have stated before with the almost unreachable '?' Blocks. Power Up Placements were nice for this Level to manage.
Point Rating: 4

Overall Rating Score: 7.5

Pretty Good

That Level was very nice and it was mostly well done but not completly to be fully manage for a perfect run.

By the way, the Video uses a different Music instead of the Level itself since I didn't trust that Music well enough to be in YouTube.

[Imaynotbehere4long]

Okay, so this is a simple level, and I mean really simple. It's so simple, it doesn't even have a midpoint, and I barely noticed. The only NPCs in the level are Goombas and green and red Koopas, and even then, they can be quite a distance away from each other. However, the level design isn't flat, and is actually quite varied compared to the average linear level, but the lack of any real challenge keeps the level from being truly enjoyable. Honestly, the main reason I didn't get bored quicker than I did is because of the music; since it's orchestrated and not-from-Super-Mario-Galaxy, it helps make the level unique even if it doesn't quite fit with the level ("Winter Dances" for a forest stage?), but we're level judges, not music judges.

Also, there's this part:

Spoiler: show

I understand that I'm supposed to hit the ? blocks with a shell, but since it's so difficult to do so (partly due to the overall LACK OF NPCs), and because of the fact that the player gets a racoon leaf not long after this part, it might make the player think that there's a secret down there. I recommend removing the bottom 2 ? blocks.

There's also an instance of cutoff, but I won't take off points for it:

Spoiler: show

In conclusion: Your block placement is relatively well done (even if it can't even muster up the illusion of challenge); now you need to work on your NPC placement. I'd say this deserves a 5.5/10.

If you're wondering why I gave this a lower score than Flaming Lava Fields, it's because I've gotten better at scoring levels since then.

--EDIT--

Ninja'd by bossedit8 (7.5/10?? Really?).

[PROX]

I think the music that bossedit8 used was more fitting to the level honestly.

[zioy]

The level design was meant to be a "first level."
Also the music is supposed to fit my current project.

[bossedit8]

The music is supposed to fit my current project.

Well, I don't want to gain Content IDs in YouTube just for such random or suspicous Music Files like this so I had to actually change it before I am maybe gonna get one from it. Sorry for that but now you have to deal with a different Music I chosed for this Level to prevent this from happening.

[zioy]

I was talking to PROX.

[Imaynotbehere4long]

The level design was meant to be a "first level."

Exactly. "First level" levels are extremely common here, which, by definition, means that they are Average. If you want to make it far with your levels, you'll need to do something interesting with it (at least make it somewhat challenging), or, in this case, get lucky and have it reviewed by bossedit8 first.

[Superiorstar]

Exactly. "First level" levels are extremely common here, which, by definition, means that they are Average. If you want to make it far with your levels, you'll need to do something interesting with it (at least make it somewhat challenging), or, in this case, get lucky and have it reviewed by bossedit8 first.

I think you are billshitting me, a "first level" doesn't have to be an average level all the time, for example the Obscure Brume from Luigi's fight for the Kingdom had fitting music, a good tileset, challenge, and an amazing gimmick that lasted through out the level, that is the kind of level that should be in pretty good IMO.
If you're saying that all "first levels" are average then I'm calling Bias on your reviews.
Biased Level Judgement

[zioy]

The level design was meant to be a "first level."

Exactly. "First level" levels are extremely common here, which, by definition, means that they are Average. If you want to make it far with your levels, you'll need to do something interesting with it (at least make it somewhat challenging), or, in this case, get lucky and have it reviewed by bossedit8 first.

Good levels don't need to be unique or gimmicky. You're too picky.

[Imaynotbehere4long]

@ krazykat:

I guess I meant to say "OR make it at least somewhat challenging." If your level is boring, it isn't fun.

Exactly. "First level" levels are extremely common here, which, by definition, means that they are Average. If you want to make it far with your levels, you'll need to do something interesting with it (at least make it somewhat challenging), or, in this case, get lucky and have it reviewed by bossedit8 first.

I think you are billshitting me, a "first level" doesn't have to be an average level all the time, for example the Obscure Brume from Luigi's fight for the Kingdom had fitting music, a good tileset, challenge, and an amazing gimmick that lasted through out the level, that is the kind of level that should be in pretty good IMO.
If you're saying that all "first levels" are average then I'm calling Bias on your reviews.

I'm not saying that all first levels are average; I'm saying that all "first levels" are average. There's a difference. Yes, Obscure Brume was the first level in an episode, but that level at least had a bit of variety by mixing land and water sections. When I refer to "first levels," I'm talking about levels like these:
http://www.supermariobrosx.org/forums/v ... =64&t=6916
http://www.supermariobrosx.org/forums/v ... =64&t=6252
http://www.supermariobrosx.org/forums/v ... =64&t=6354
http://www.supermariobrosx.org/forums/v ... =64&t=5174
http://www.supermariobrosx.org/forums/v ... =64&t=6307
http://www.supermariobrosx.org/forums/v ... =64&t=5851
http://www.supermariobrosx.org/forums/v ... =64&t=5271
http://www.supermariobrosx.org/forums/v ... =64&t=5001
http://www.supermariobrosx.org/forums/v ... =64&t=4882
http://www.supermariobrosx.org/forums/v ... =64&t=4758
http://www.supermariobrosx.org/forums/v ... =64&t=4255
http://www.supermariobrosx.org/forums/v ... =64&t=3087

In other words, levels that have barely any NPC variety, not much block variety, and are just boring overall. This level did have block placement going for it, which is why I gave it a "pretty good for an average level" score. However, the lack of variation in NPCs, combined with the overall lack of NPCs in general is what kept this level from being Pretty Good for me.

[zioy]

I meant as in the first level of an episode... not the first level I've made.

and... first levels aren't supposed to be interesting with gimmicks...

[Mable]

Big Text of Walls

Just gonna say Shyfalls wasn't meant to be reviewed actually it was a test and more a casual one but back when i posted it here the casual section didn't exist but k.

[Imaynotbehere4long]

I meant as in the first level of an episode...

Yes, exactly! That's what I meant, too! If you read the descriptions of some of those levels, you'll see things like "I made this so that it would fit as the first level in an episode." Heck, Goomba Plains flat out says "World 1-1" at the beginning!

Since you're not here to continue our argument, I'll do my best to sum up my case in a way you will hopefully understand: When I refer to "first levels," I am referring to levels that the community would generally consider to be fitting as a first level in an episode, not necessarily the first level that the person had ever made. These "first levels" are commonly simple in design and easy to the point of being boring. With regards to the block variety, there are exceptions, such as Basic Grass Level, Soaked up Shores, and yours, of course, but they all share the same quality of sparse NPC placement and being boring.

Simply put: if I refer to a level as a "first level" or a "Basic Grass Level," I'm saying it's boring.

Shyfalls wasn't meant to be reviewed actually it was a test and more a casual one but back when i posted it here the casual section didn't exist but k.

Wait, why didn't you tell me this sooner? I would have moved it to Casual Levels for you. In fact, I'll go ahead and do that now.

[Waddle]

Why did krazykat get banned?