I've been so busy recently I didn't have a chance to give the Group 2 levels another run through to finalise my decision so I just had to vote for what I instinctively liked as a 1-1 type level from my first run throughs.
I will say that I did think quite a few were rather too complicated for what was meant to be the first level of a game.
Played through all the levels on the last page. All of them were pretty good. I gave feedback on Miiverse for some
Let me repost my level once. I uploaded that one two days ago. Only four people played it and no one has finished it, although I don't think it's that hard.
I made a single screen, pixel-perfect jump level. I was able to beat it after a few tries, so I uploaded it to see how it fared with others. 2% completion at the moment, but its only been played by random players. I'm not even a fan of levels like this, but I enjoyed the single challenge aspect of it rather than finding something like this at the very end of an already difficult level.
Unpopular opinion time: I don't think this level is a slam dunk. When the volcano erupts (really cool effect, by the way), stuff falls at Mario seemingly at random from offscreen. When Mario's in the volcano, most of the platforming is right against the lava so stuff can emerge, potentially unseen, or Mario can interact with things the player doesn't fully realize is there. Music blocks for that sort of platforming in particular seems unfair.
Hey, I love negative feedback. It helps me improve. A few things though. There's a not so hidden star at the start if you follow the coins. The lava fall is not random at all and its just a matter of taking it slow (or getting a star). The fact that the blocks are unseen is actually the point. It's not cheap though because if you pay attention to the coin placement it tells you what type of block it is in the second part.
Like I said in my earlier part, it's a level designed to stress you out. If those music blocks weren't directly above lava, you'd find them easy. I understand that design will frustrate some people though. It's only natural, and there's definitely some trial and error which some might find cheap!
Currently working on and struggling with ideas and inspiration for 2 levels which I've part finished. Hopefully the drive to finish them will kick in tonight so I can post them. If not I will console myself playing some of the levels from this thread and hopefully get some much needed ideas. It's amazing how many different ideas and themes people come up with!
I realized just now that we are voting for the levels. I've completly forgotten about it, I'm sorry. I'll play group 2's levels, give my impressions and vote in a few hours.
First time posting on this thread. Have a level a put a lot of work creating and would love to see how people like it. Finally figure out how to upload a photo using screen share.
Thanks for the stream. Enjoyed it as always. Hopefully I have a new level to submit for your next stream. I'll go for a classic challenging but fun (not unfair) platformer. We'll see what I end up with, haha!
As far as I can tell nobody has made it across the fire wave of hell bridge but the death icons are hard to read. Including what seems to be a Nintendo account. Maybe this will entice!
You can do it. I know you can!
I plan to play and/or stream a whole bunch of courses from here when things die down at work. Lately it is just work, make courses, sleep.
So, I tested all of the group 2's submissions (well, it took me much more time than I thought it would), and gave a star to everyone. I may not comment every one of them in details, but if I noticed some interesting things, I'll share those in my post.
While I won't say for who I am voting, I'll share with you my guidelines and what I am looking for in a 1-1 stage:
First screen must be a safe zone. It is a 1-1 level, players are discovering the game, the maker shouldn't put the newcomer against difficult challenges right of the bat. That includes pitfalls.
Monsters: There should be at least 2 kind of monsters. The most iconic ones are Goombas, Koopas and Piranha plants. Careful not to overuse them! Some monsters should not be present, including Bowser and Junior. Hammer Bros are frown upon, since those are difficult enemies to deal with for new players.
Breakable blocs: The player should discover that Mario can break up blocks after taking a power-up, and that he can't if he is tiny.
Koopa shell + Block: The player should discover that koopa shells can be used to hit blocks and unlock their secrets. Not mandatory, but nice to add.
Coins: No need for 100 of them (in most 1-1, there aren't 100 coins to collect), but they should be used to guide the player (a little) and are treated as nice rewards.
1UP: Optional, but welcomed, as long as there aren't too much to grab.
Power-ups: There must be a least one kind of power-up. Two is ideal. Three is fine. Four may be too much for a 1-1. There should be enough of them for players to avoid staying in tiny Mario form for too long if one made a mistake and took a hit (or just missed a power-up in a ? block).
Verticality: The player should discover that he can reach higher heights.
10 coins block: At least one would be nice, to introduce the newcomer to that mecanic.
Lenght: It is a 1-1 level. It shouldn't be too long, nor too short. If a second area is used, this one should be short, easy, and/or restricted to bonuses (coins, power-ups).
Pipes: At least one use of pipes. Better if only optional (not necessary to complete the level, unless it is a very obvious passageway).
Difficulty: Since we are playing beginner levels, the maker should avoid making too hard challenges (though one should also avoid making a danger free level). At least one pitfall is welcomed to allow the player to understand that falling can lead to a death.
Run option: The player should not need to run to finish the level, period. That means no difficult jumps. However, making secrets and/or optionals areas impossible to reach without running is perfectly OK.
Unwinnable: No place in the stage should be unwinnable. Ie. the player should never find himself stuck, unable to do anything expect die or retry.
Fun: The most important factor. Was the level fun to play, or not? Probably the most subjective criteria.
Now, my opinion on the levels:
Conor_Fool: Fine level, but I don't know if introducing P-blocks in a 1-1 level is such a good idea. At least one P-Block was completly useless in your level. Your level was a little long, and felt a little empty at times.
Peltz: You are too generous with coins, way too generous. Two secrets areas with a looot of (infinite!) coins, that is a bit much. That being said, your level is not too long, nor too short, which is rather nice. I dislike music blocks and bouncy zones though :s
Finn: Way too difficult for a 1-1. First screen is definitly not new-comer friendly.
xandaca: A little too much enemy variety. Also, there is a Lakitu on ground-level, allowing for cloud bypass easily, not good. A lot of different power-ups too, maybe a little too much. The underground area is a little too big for a 1-1. Overall, I found your level to be too long because of the underground area (the top one is fine). I liked that you made an (optional) obstacle in which you need to use the feather to go over it.
Silent_Ocarina: Maybe a little too generous in 1UPs and coins, but overall I found it very well designed. Nice work!
correojon: A little too much of everything, too many mecanics in one level. It doesn't feel like a 1-1 to me, but the concept itself is very nice, and it was fun to play.
KooopasKid: The little gap leading to a pitfall right off the bat is not great, new players may die simply by pushing the right button. Overall the stage is way too difficult for a 1-1. That being said, the concept of your stage is very nice.
OmegaDL50: Short, easy, and has most of the essentials features of a 1-1. I was surprised by the time limit, but it may have been a smart move (though a 1-1 shouldn't be about racing against the clock).
balladofwindfishes: Rather easy, generous with power-ups, nice feeling overall.
Gsnap: Run jump right at the beginning. Not mortal is the player screws up, but not something to open a 1-1 with imho. I liked the final part of your level.
El Pescado: Very NES classic indeed. Not bad, but there are some things lacking.
Kebiinu: Veeeery nice! Not much to say here.
Belgian Dude: Prettyyyy. I got camera-screwed by goombas in one place (they weren't visible and I shrinked back to tiny Mario). One power-up is very easy to miss (just a few seconds to get it before it passes through walls - not sure if intentional). Too generous in 1UPs. It was a fun stage to play though!
Azure Dream: The ground level is a little high at the beginning. I don't have much to say, I'm afraid, though it was a good way to introduce players to the spike helmet.
Lulzwagon: Ground level a little high at the beginning². I liked the concept.
Chopper: Too many kinds of enemies (including Hammer bros, though they weren't too hard to deal with). Also a Lakitu bypass.
Nohar, I played your 3 Mole Mountain levels. They were pretty nice, the water level was definitly a step up in difficulty. While the three current level were diverse enough, I am not sure how long you can hold onto this theme before it becomes stale.
@Thread:
3-3 Cargo Fleet
CFD1-0000-0081-653D
Not the most fitting name, as there isn't even that much cargo. xD
The first airship level and the second autoscroller. Definitly a step up in difficulty compared to the levels before. I introduces the player to cannons and bullet bills, as well as the moving airship theme and a Hammer Bros. as a boss.
Nohar, I played your 3 Mole Mountain levels. They were pretty nice, the water level was definitly a step up in difficulty. While the three current level were diverse enough, I am not sure how long you can hold onto this theme before it becomes stale.
@Thread:
3-3 Cargo Fleet
CFD1-0000-0081-653D
Not the most fitting name, as there isn't even that much cargo. xD
The first airship level and the second autoscroller. Definitly a step up in difficulty compared to the levels before. I introduces the player to cannons and bullet bills, as well as the moving airship theme and a Hammer Bros. as a boss.
Thank you for your analysis! I will make a last mole level and I will be over with them. I wanted to see what I could do by experimenting with a single idea.
About the water level, did you find it fair or unfair? I'm worried that the last part of the level may be a little too crowded (not enough space to swim?).
Once I make the last "Mole" level I'll create a new post about them (didn't make any publicity, I want to submit the 4 of them at the same time).
Anyhow, thank you again for playing my levels, I'll take a look at yours shortly Right now, after doing all of group 2's levels, I need a break ^^
First time posting on this thread. Have a level a put a lot of work creating and would love to see how people like it. I would put up a screenshot, but I can't seem to do it without taking a lousy off-screen.
I think in the later part of the level you're not supposed to take one Goomba with you and destroy the big pile of Beetles to clear the level? I mean I only saw Yoshi once in the beginning, so I guess I did it wrong
Ok, played through it again and got Yoshi again, so now the name makes sense. The "boss" battle was a nice idea, but it's very easy to just ignore it and run away. But I liked the idea even if the execution wasn't probably top notch
Thank you for your analysis! I will make a last mole level and I will be over with them. I wanted to see what I could do by experimenting with a single idea.
About the water level, did you find it fair or unfair? I'm worried that the last part of the level may be a little too crowded (not enough space to swim?).
Once I make the last "Mole" level I'll create a new post about them (didn't make any publicity, I want to submit the 4 of them at the same time).
Anyhow, thank you again for playing my levels, I'll take a look at yours shortly Right now, after doing all of group 2's levels, I need a break ^^
I didn't find it unfair, but I can definitly see problems with the last water part if you loose your fire flower. It's pretty narrow in there. xD I did however like the design with the small "holes" where the moles came from. This applies to both the pipes and ceiling areas in the autoscroller and all the small areas in the water level.
I also didn't find all secrets, especially in the first level I saw a few coins but no way to get to them. Will probably take another look (or just look in the editor xD) later on.
I could only watch the stream for 5 minutes and I couldn't comment. Fortunately for me you just happened to be playing my level (Circular Platforms 3). It was very nice seeing how you approached things, for example the yellow block barriers were supposed to be passed with the feather, but you used Koopa shells which hadn't even crossed my mind. At times I wanted to scream hints at you but it was awesome watching you find how to pass the obstacles on your own or come up with stuff I didn't think of.
It was a very cool experience, so I favved your stream and will be watching it more, thanks for the effort!
thanks guys for watching and glad you guys enjoy the stream. im a bit sick so i will be coughing a lot in the next few days and have a nasally voice but thanks again ^^
also like i mentioned on stream i had plans to do a mario maker contest for when my website relaunches, there are a bunch of ways to do this and i will keep you updated on how i plan to do the contest. The website doesnt relaunch until november/december so there is still some time before that happens
I could only watch the stream for 5 minutes and I couldn't comment. Fortunately for me you just happened to be playing my level (Circular Platforms 3). It was very nice seeing how you approached things, for example the yellow block barriers were supposed to be passed with the feather, but you used Koopa shells which hadn't even crossed my mind. At times I wanted to scream hints at you but it was awesome watching you find how to pass the obstacles on your own or come up with stuff I didn't think of.
It was a very cool experience, so I favved your stream and will be watching it more, thanks for the effort!
i am the king of either making things too hard on myself or finding things im not supposed to glad you enjoyed the stream and hope you catch the full thing next time
I might or might not stream again in a few hours. if i do i will post here beforehand but feel free to submit your stages for when i do go online (it will be within the next 12 hours or less even, anyways) all the info is in the link below
I want to play GAF levels but I got to focused playing the RubberRuss levels, those are brutal, it doesn´t help that I never give up until a level is beaten, I need that flag.
What is the best way to go through the levels everyone is posting? Just got throught them one by one, from the first to the last?
Oh well, I´ll start by this last page and go from there.
Congratulations! Myself I have beaten Gnat Attack, but abandoned hope to unlock the remaining costumes through the Expert 100 Mario Challenge. In that mode, you have to push the - button before a level even starts so you can detect and avoid instant kill levels, and they're pretty frequent. That mode is basically torture in Expert, while Normal is currently enjoyable at times (and very easy).
I played this level yesterday, it has some very original puzzles. I was thinking all the time that i was breaking the level and going through a secret route, while in fact I was just strolling along the path led by the designer. Awesome player guidance without being intrusive.
The atmosphere is awesome, you get the impression that something´s wrong but you can´t tell exactly what, that you are somewhere you are not supposed to be. loved it.
The puzzles are varied and require you to think outside the box, while at the same time clearly communicating on what needs to be done. Forcing the player to take a hit to solve a puzzle is something that I would usually say is a big no, but this level requires it from the start and expresses it in such an elegant way that you can´t contest the value of this mechanic. Whole parts of the level are built around this and further contribute to the atmosphere of the level, making you feel in constant danger. You may get a powerup, just to loose it moments later as a requirement to get through some spikes or reach a high ledge. Even when later in the level you are given powerful upgrades, the dangers escalate accordingly so you never feel forget that feeling of imminent peril.
Even when I had a star, I feared for my well being as the star was running out and I hadn´t taken out both Bowsers.
Spoiler section:
The boss encounters are really well done and contribute to the course´s theme: being trapped with Bowser Jr. and him following you around the course, not being a direct threat but having to keep an eye on him really helps to add even more tension and the surprise encounter with the 2 Mega Bowsers is the cherry on top. Looking at each of this boss instances separately they are really nothing special nor do they do anything unexpected (besides maybe Bowser Jr. following you around the course), but there´s something that just makes them fit so nicely in the course.
I couldn´t finish the level as I ran out of time in my best attempt and the experience was so tense that I preferred to let it rest so I didn´t become too accustomed to the atmosphere and it lost it´s power on me. This way I can experience it again fully today. I think it´s the first time in SMM where I´ve ran out of time in a level (not counting those that start with the counter at 100). Usually at this point I would have already finished the level or become bored by it, but time flies in this one.
Just one minor complaint: the conveyor belt´s puzzle takes too long: apart from the puzzle itself the mushroom uses a lot of time just running through the conveyor belt in the wrong direction, that was a bit frustrating.
Conclusion: Awesome level, very original puzzles, great atmosphere, different from any other SMM course I´ve tried, great use of bosses...The author has done an outstanding job. I would give this 2 stars if I could.
Thank you for taking the time to give some of the best feedback that I have received on this level so far. To address your minor complaint about the mushroom taking too long on the conveyor belt puzzle, I have tried many different versions to make it go a little quicker but it ended up not working in the end. The one way to address speeding up the mushroom drop is to do the puzzle from "Right to Left" instead of "Left to Right." However, I am open to any suggestions that you may have in order to improve this labor of love.
A big thank you for your feedback and praise on my level.
One had it so you had to get to the end of the stage (a mostly cape flying stage and then go back (for whatever reason) to find a door he plunked down in the middle. No indication or anything.
The next one had something similar "Can you find the correct route through my maze to the correct pipe/door to the blocked off exit?"
I got to one that involves perfectly timing jumps over moving waves of Spikeys.
Why do people make this stupid crap? It's not fun.
I'm having a ton of fun with this game. I checked this morning and found out I'm the #18 level creator in the North American region on the weekly chart! Crazy! I think my favorite part is checking miiverse now and then and seeing the jokes and art people make. Definitely the best use of Miiverse I've ever seen.
I've been working (slowly) on some new levels that I think will be really cool. In the meantime, here are some of the most popular levels I've done so far:
Raiders of the Lost Coin ID 9B89-0000-003F-247B Based on the opening scenes of Raiders of the Lost Ark, in this level you explore an ancient temple, on the lookout for the Lost Coin!
Escape from Bowser's Prison ID 1F4A-0000-0072-B5E5 Leave your cell in Bowser's prison, free Yoshi, and escape!
Mario Gear Solid ID 2F34-0000-0059-6223 It's Metal Gear Solid as a Mario level. Infiltrate Shadow Moses, battle the Hind D, and destroy Metal Gear Rex!
Mario Goes To IKEA ID 3C20-0000-0067-3694 Mario needs some affordable Swedish furniture. Help him navigate the many rooms of the Mushroom Kingdom IKEA!
Stario Wars: M-Pire Strikes Back ID CB51-0000-005E-DB75 In this level inspired by "The Empire Strikes Back," you play as Mario Skywalker, fighting Imperial Walkers, escaping Hoth, and finding your way to Dagobah.
Yeah that's the discouraging aspect of this game to me. I've posted my stage or two on NeoGAF here and have only gotten very little replies. People just post their levels here and bail. Meanwhile, I've been streaming NeoGAF levels and having a ton of fun playing them. If only people will enjoy my stages Next time I stream, I'm probably going to only play stages if the designer is present in the chat as well. It's more fun that way for the designer to see his/her stages played.
Just wanted to say that I know and I drop in and leave a couple of stages and don't really leave feedback here on GAF, but like many others I too browse on my phone while playing MM, and am constantly taking screenshots of my phone screen with levels to play, and every GAF level I play gets feedback through miiverse.. So without further ado, repost for the new page, and I'm off to play GAF levels..
Ok guys I finished Game and Watch Gallery 2
Overall easier than the first one I think but still fun!
Please let me know what you guys think!
B764-0000-0080-912C
Also in case you didn't see the first one:
Alright I tweaked the Game and Watch Gallery stage I made:
6A2E-0000-0080-5FFE
I tweaked the oil panic part, it's much much easier now and made the manhole part a little shorter so the wait isn't as bad for the turtle. I also added coins to the octopus part because the whole point of the original was to dodge the octopus and steal it's treasure xD
Any feedback is so fucking appreciated you don't even know
Also, while I am collecting levels to play through the pages, I do skip some cause it's just impossible to play EVERY level, I get it mine gets skipped too, it's just the nature of the overflood of levels. BUT, if you quote me directly I will guarantee your level played homies <3
Yeah, my issue is that I'm usually on here while at work, and so I can't play the levels when I'm in the thread. Then when I'm home, playing, I'm not on here anymore. But, if someone leaves a comment on one of my levels that mentions GAF, I'll click through and check out their levels.
Yeah that's the discouraging aspect of this game to me. I've posted my stage or two on NeoGAF here and have only gotten very little replies. People just post their levels here and bail. Meanwhile, I've been streaming NeoGAF levels and having a ton of fun playing them. If only people will enjoy my stages Next time I stream, I'm probably going to only play stages if the designer is present in the chat as well. It's more fun that way for the designer to see his/her stages played.
I've been guilty of that. I plan on fixing it though. I don't have any equipment to stream (unless a webcam pointed at my TV counts but...no).
What I've been doing is leaving a MiiVerse comment on any levels I play (I show up as Fury) and will be adding a tag for where I got your level code.
ex. "Great level, I loved the moving vine part!" -Bladelaw NeoGAF. It's generally easier than finding the post again given how this thread moves. If I have more detailed thoughts I'll be posting though.
In my latest effort to create a suite of worlds based on SMB, SMB3, and SMW, Wild Tanooki Fields will be the first level in the SMB3 world. It offers an easy main route, and a handful of secrets/shortcuts that require a bit more finesse and timing which should please experienced players.
I think in the later part of the level you're not supposed to take one Goomba with you and destroy the big pile of Beetles to clear the level? I mean I only saw Yoshi once in the beginning, so I guess I did it wrong
Ok, played through it again and got Yoshi again, so now the name makes sense. The "boss" battle was a nice idea, but it's very easy to just ignore it and run away. But I liked the idea even if the execution wasn't probably top notch
This one popped up when I was randomly searching around. Fun and interesting concept. Not too difficult when you get used to it.
Course name: Cloud Fortress
Course id: 4692-0000-0080-C0BC
This is my first level I created so some feedback would be appreciated. It didn't exactly turn out the way I wanted. Also is there a way to view how people who played your course played the stage and where they died.
For my next course, I'm thinking of doing a bob-omb factory and doing various puzzles to progress with the bob-omb.
In this case you could move the boss so that it's blocking the way back after you push the switch. So you basically run under it first and after the trick it's now blocking the way forcing at least some battling or dodging before you can pass it.
