Project Tips

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Kurukururin
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Re: Project Tips

Postby Kurukururin » Sat Nov 08, 2014 11:41 am

It feels like people are hung up on how many levels they can use for a project. For example, my speedrunning project only have 3 levels total in 1 world! Its all about what fits your idea. The thing im going for is re-play value. The whole idea with speedrunning is taking something and pressing the very last drop of jucie out of it, and see just how far you can take your knowledge of those few specific levels as a player and compete against other players. Since 1 single death in any of the 3 levels would destroy any records the player is going for, it would make going for too many levels too annoying to try for records, since theres always someone out there who will manage to do it all without dying. If i make it short and sweet, people wont mind starting over all the time to perfect the runs.

If i would make more of a classic project with lots of levels on the other hand, i could see myself doing a really long adventure :) I like extremes.

Army Goomba
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Re: Project Tips

Postby Army Goomba » Tue Nov 25, 2014 6:35 pm

Anphiba wrote:I just didn't want to make it short and simple like in every Mario game. I was hoping to make it longer so that the players would get more playtime. I've seen episodes with a lot of levels in them.
Plus, I wasn't comfortable with 9 worlds. Literally, every Mario game.
grass
desert
island
jungle
ice
mountain
sky
volcano
star world
It's so repetitive!! It's the same number, same everything. The only "innovative and different" game I can see is New Super Mario Bros. 2, with the 6 worlds it has. Yeah, I don't like it that much because it's too short.
I want it to be like a official Mario game, but if I do 9, people think it's too short and no one will play it. If I do 15, everybody is going to hate on me and no one will play the episode.
I don't know what to do anymore...
Maybe doing 9 or 15 worlds would be good. But if none of these numbers are working, you could make the LEVELS longer. In my current project "Strike at the Star Hub", i made a level called "Cloudy Fortress", and i think it is the longest linear level of the episode. There's a part where you can choose which way to go. The 3 ones are considerably different. And if this is not enough, my episode is, most of the time, a HARD-ISH SON OF A @#$%&, hard like an old game, so this also raises gameplay time. Too many easy levels can be boring if they are too similar. Add then puzzles, length and difficulty. Some people like challenging games, other likes quick fun and distraction, and those last kind of people may not like challenges. Anyway, these are just tips i'm giving you of how to make your levels interesting.

Also, even if your episode is hard (Not the Kaizo type), you can sometimes put easy levels to give the player a break.

To help understand what i mean, or if you just want to, you can download the "Cloudy Fortress" level in the below attachment.
Last edited by Army Goomba on Tue Nov 25, 2014 7:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

MrPunchia
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Re: Project Tips

Postby MrPunchia » Tue Nov 25, 2014 7:05 pm

Anphiba wrote:I just didn't want to make it short and simple like in every Mario game. I was hoping to make it longer so that the players would get more playtime. I've seen episodes with a lot of levels in them.
Plus, I wasn't comfortable with 9 worlds. Literally, every Mario game.
grass
desert
island
jungle
ice
mountain
sky
volcano
star world
It's so repetetive!! It's the same number, same everything. The only "innovative and different" game I can see is New Super Mario Bros. 2, with the 6 worlds it has. Yeah, I don't like it that much because it's too short.
I want it to be like a official Mario game, but if I do 9, People think it's too short and no one will play it.
If I do 15, everybody is going to hate on me and no one will play the episode.
I don't know what to do anymore...
You know what they say, quality over quantity. Besides, the bigger the episode, the bigger the chance of it being cancelled.

Erik
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Re: Project Tips

Postby Erik » Mon Dec 22, 2014 11:46 am

I don't know how to make screenshots

SuperMario7
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Re: Project Tips

Postby SuperMario7 » Mon Dec 22, 2014 11:50 am

Ludwig von Koopa wrote:I don't know how to make screenshots
Press F12 in the editor. If you want to upload them to the forums, then find a image hosting site like Photobucket and upload them there. Then you can copy the img code link onto the forums.

TangledLion
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Re: Project Tips

Postby TangledLion » Tue Dec 23, 2014 11:15 pm

Read this if you are heading up a team-based project.It may be written with RPGmaker in mind, but is applies to SMBX projects too.

Teamwork and you:
Part 1:http://rpgmaker.net/articles/1058/
Part 2:http://rpgmaker.net/articles/1072/
Of course I already knew most of this stuff even before reading it :p

Dany25G
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Re: Project Tips

Postby Dany25G » Fri Jan 02, 2015 11:45 am

I have a good idea to create an easy level:

Step1: you must do first the graphics made from all levels of the World 1
Step2: make levels with inspiration
paso3: You can put the music after by priority
paso4: give the first levels of the map depends on the way
step5: do all map tiles all identified
Step6: enjoy

MacheTheFerret
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Re: Project Tips

Postby MacheTheFerret » Fri Jan 02, 2015 12:34 pm

SuperMario7 wrote:
Ludwig von Koopa wrote:I don't know how to make screenshots
Press F12 in the editor. If you want to upload them to the forums, then find a image hosting site like Photobucket and upload them there. Then you can copy the img code link onto the forums.
But don't forget to have a folder titled "screenshots" in your main SMBX folder, or F12 won't do anything.

Mr Pancake Guy
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Re: Project Tips

Postby Mr Pancake Guy » Sun Jan 11, 2015 8:21 am

zlakergirl357 wrote:Here are tips for what to do and not to do when you're making a project. You can also post your own tips. Please make this sticky and don't lock it mods.

1. Don't have long levels unless there is between 30-50 levels in the game. If they're short make up to 80+ levels
2. Secret paths are recommended.
3. Have a variation of levels. Not every level has to be themed to the world.
4. The plot doesn't have to be long and mysterious. Even good games repeats the story from past Mario, which every Mario fan knows.
5. Get inspired by others levels. Even the greatest level designers can get inspired by others.
6. Try to come up with new features in the game.
7. You don't have to use new graphics. So long it fit together it's no shame.
8. Try to make bosses appear in some levels. And try to tweak them. That makes them fun.
9. Try to not have a lot of worlds in the game with a lot of levels.
I don't agree with 9. since a good game should be relatively longer as long as it follows rule 1. But then again, everybody has their own definition of "lot". Mine would be like 20 worlds with 30 levels each.

Tango
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Re: Project Tips

Postby Tango » Mon Jan 19, 2015 8:19 am

Mr Pancake Guy wrote:
zlakergirl357 wrote:Here are tips for what to do and not to do when you're making a project. You can also post your own tips. Please make this sticky and don't lock it mods.

1. Don't have long levels unless there is between 30-50 levels in the game. If they're short make up to 80+ levels
2. Secret paths are recommended.
3. Have a variation of levels. Not every level has to be themed to the world.
4. The plot doesn't have to be long and mysterious. Even good games repeats the story from past Mario, which every Mario fan knows.
5. Get inspired by others levels. Even the greatest level designers can get inspired by others.
6. Try to come up with new features in the game.
7. You don't have to use new graphics. So long it fit together it's no shame.
8. Try to make bosses appear in some levels. And try to tweak them. That makes them fun.
9. Try to not have a lot of worlds in the game with a lot of levels.
I don't agree with 9. since a good game should be relatively longer as long as it follows rule 1. But then again, everybody has their own definition of "lot". Mine would be like 20 worlds with 30 levels each.
Craziness. If there is 20 worlds with 30 levels each, there will be 600 levels. 600 levels is a absurd number. The max that i think that a episode needs be is 257.

Also, make 20 worlds also is a hard work. The only exception to make 20 worlds is making a Super Mario 64 style episode.

But anyway, make so much worlds requires so much music too, because you don't want hear the same music for 20 worlds of 30 levels each, do you want? And so much music you make the episode size be so much bigger, and make the episode lag too.

Dfrthyui
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Re: Project Tips

Postby Dfrthyui » Mon Jan 19, 2015 8:28 am

Eh. 8 or 9 worlds is enough.

Erik
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Re: Project Tips

Postby Erik » Fri Feb 06, 2015 5:19 pm

Dfrthyui wrote:Eh. 8 or 9 worlds is enough.
Depends on how many ideas you have left, if you have 15 worlds with each 6 levels and they're all original levels, there's no problem.

The bosses don't always need to be Bowser and the Koopalings. Things like: The Shroobs, The Secret Society of X-Nauts and Count Bleck can also be used.

as303298
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Re: Project Tips

Postby as303298 » Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:52 pm

I agree 8 should be the max. Not so much in terms of how many levels, but to ensure you have enoughquality to make someone at least think about replaying the game. I'll sooner play a game like Super Enigmatic World, where 1 well-designed screen is all you deal with at a time, instead of playing a game with 8 worlds with shitty levels. One of the reasons why SDG was originally canceled was because its tough to keep 8 whole worlds unique with unique levels in each one too.

Either keep things super short and well designed, or go for length/quantity but ensure the quality is still up-to-par.

Tango
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Re: Project Tips

Postby Tango » Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:59 pm

We can't forget that exists Super Mario 64 styled games, so i think that in this case the max that i recommend is 18 worlds.

Mable
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Re: Project Tips

Postby Mable » Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:44 pm

SM64 styled game worlds are called "Hubs" there are no worlds in it.

Tango
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Re: Project Tips

Postby Tango » Sat Mar 14, 2015 5:46 pm

CaptainSyrup wrote:SM64 styled game worlds are called "Hubs" there are no worlds in it.
Nope. If you make a only world, like Bob-Omb Battlefield, and make 6 SMB3 Stars, that you need complete tasks to have it, it's a SM64 styled game world. It's that style of game that i am using on my episode.

ShadowStarX
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Re: Project Tips

Postby ShadowStarX » Sun Apr 12, 2015 6:26 am

If you're going to use long pathways between levels in a world map episode, use warp zones to make traveling easier. (like Star Warp in Invasion 2 or The Great Empire or a simple warp zone like in Mushroom Robbers: Revisited) Walking on world map is boring if it's long.

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Re: Project Tips

Postby suckhacker » Wed Apr 22, 2015 8:23 pm

SMBX-fan wrote:If you're going to use long pathways between levels in a world map episode, use warp zones to make traveling easier. (like Star Warp in Invasion 2 or The Great Empire or a simple warp zone like in Mushroom Robbers: Revisited) Walking on world map is boring if it's long.
that's simply common hacking/modding/fangaming sense.

as303298
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Re: Project Tips

Postby as303298 » Thu Apr 23, 2015 8:58 am

suckhacker wrote:
SMBX-fan wrote:If you're going to use long pathways between levels in a world map episode, use warp zones to make traveling easier. (like Star Warp in Invasion 2 or The Great Empire or a simple warp zone like in Mushroom Robbers: Revisited) Walking on world map is boring if it's long.
that's simply common hacking/modding/fangaming sense.
In this day and age, common sense isnt so common

MECHDRAGON777
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Re: Project Tips

Postby MECHDRAGON777 » Thu Apr 23, 2015 12:59 pm

as303298 wrote:
suckhacker wrote:
SMBX-fan wrote:If you're going to use long pathways between levels in a world map episode, use warp zones to make traveling easier. (like Star Warp in Invasion 2 or The Great Empire or a simple warp zone like in Mushroom Robbers: Revisited) Walking on world map is boring if it's long.
that's simply common hacking/modding/fangaming sense.
In this day and age, common sense isnt so common
Most of the time, a "Star warp" is an unlockable...

about worlds limit... I say no more then eight mandatory ones, but there should be an unlimited amount of optional ones... (Luftschifattacke has three optional, nine mandatory, mine has eight mandatory ones, and five-ish optional ones...)


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