Support NeoGAF

[SmiteOfHand]

OK. I decided to Shia LaBeouf it and threw together a submission form for difficult but fair courses. Quote for the link and please be considerate about sharing it.

The final list will be made public for anyone who wants a hellish playlist of well designed, challenging courses. The exact process of whittling down the list will be about as unscientific as these things usually go but I will do my best to consider things from as many angles as I can. Anyone who would like to help in reviewing the courses give me a PM and we can figure something out.

Fair warning, if this gif makes you nope then this is probably not for you. That said dense, hellish courses are not the only ones up for consideration. Anything that challenges the player is acceptable whether that is skill, puzzles, scoring, or something else entirely.

What is more important is weeding out bad difficulty design. Good and bad are subjective and context is king and so on and so forth, so here is a list of things that I personally think account for bad design. Keep in mind every single thing in this list can have exceptions and is not necessarily an immediate fail.

1. Suicide as a learning mechanism. This one is a biggie. Blind jumps with a very high probability of death unless you land on the single platform off the screen is not clever. Asshole hidden blocks were really funny about a decade ago. Anything that requires the player to learn something where the outcome is certain death will be heavily scrutinized.
2. Requiring glitches for progress. Using some strange physics behavior that requires frame accuracy to progress in a level can be fascinating but not really what this list is about.
3. Towering enemies/spam. Yes, it is very cool that you can stack 50 enemies on top of each other, and spawn endless amounts of hell. This can go very bad, very quickly. Approach with caution.
4. Wasting the player's time. This is very tricky. Some people find analyzing and observing a stage boring. "Stop wasting my time" is subjective. Here are a few examples of time wasters that can often be designed around.
5. Difficulty ramp. If the entire course is being used but the really challenging bit is right at the end then that means the player has to go through a bunch of filler to get to the good part.
6. Extremely obscure puzzle solving. If you have to find a hidden block with a bomb in the very top left corner of the course and then know you have to carry that all the way to the end then all that has happened is delaying the real challenge, wasting the player's time.
7. Super human pixel accuracy. This one is dear to my heart. Good patterns. Tight timing windows. Difficult executions. I am a fan. There is a big difference between a timing window that is 100ms, and 10ms.
8. RNG. This one is tough. Enemy AI can be unpredictable and as such very exciting. RNG on its own is not bad design, but can very often be used in bad ways. Scenarios where the player dies because they have no options and just has to hope for a run with fortunate RNG is often wasting their time.

This list is not absolute and it is definitely not exhaustive. Just trying to make it clear that I will be working hard to create a final list of solid courses. Don't be shy about submitting your course, even if you think it isn't very hard. Challenge comes in a lot of forms.

 

[Jeeves]

This was my favorite level out of the ones I played today! Excellent theme and execution, perfect difficulty. It feels great to see parts of the ships fall down, and the finale is the best!

I also played your Goomba who sold the World level but didn't really get it...

Thanks so much, I put an obscene amount of time into designing and fine-tuning the mole fleet level. The goomba one...don't worry about it. It's basically a music video, I don't expect most people to get it.

Played Mariowood and had a good time, it's a nice mix of platforming and maze-navigating, not quite as claustrophobic as it appears - you don't need to be pixel perfect. I might need to download it to see how you got the

Spoiler

music part to act as it did

, I haven't really done more than dip my toe into that kind of stuff.

 

[Schlomo]

Bob-omb Shooting Gallery 2: D0E8-0000-0054-F4A2

I played both of them. Really well made. Some spots felt like they could be finicky at first, but it always worked out surprisingly fast. Must have taken a lot of effort to time it like this!

In your Simple Puzzles, it's possible to take the second switch through the pipe if you're careful and skip the entire next part. Maybe secure the pipe with blocks? Fun level otherwise!

 

[KeRaSh]

Mario 101: Great level, awesome twist on a 1-1, introducing the basics one at a time in safe environments and very nicely themed, then asking you to use them in the "real" level. Also, cool secrets. Minor complaint: the winged Koopa coming down the stairs may be a bit too much for a 1-1, but it´s just a minor complaint. +++

Awesome! Thanks for the great feedback! Glad you liked it.

I felt like the level would have been too easy for GAF standards without the flying Koopa so I gambled on it.

 

[ohNOitsRO]

Gotta repost my levels guys honestly they just don't get any plays any other way

Game and Watch Gallery

6A2E-0000-0080-5FFE

Game and Watch Gallery 2

B764-0000-0080-912C

Game and Watch Gallery 3

40CA-0000-0083-0549

Also, the best of my levels that I haven't put up in a while.. My upside down gravity shifting ghost house

Gravity Manor

C2FC-0000-0059-4C5C

And what I think is a tense but never unfair boss battle..

Castle Siege

EB0C-0000-0064-88B2

Obviously there's more but if you are really interested you would just go after one of these levels to check them out on my page.. As usual, I am going through playing GAF stages, but I'm not gonna lie and say it wouldn't boost your stages to the front of the list if I see you played my levels

 

[jarosh]

Is Miiverse user Gilder/Dimentios a gaffer? His creations are hands down some of the best classic levels I've played. Many of them strike a perfect balance between streamlined, focused, yet playful design, moderate difficulty and a clean, but beautiful aesthetic with just the right amount of ornamentation. Just a joy to play.

Some of my favorites of his:

Aerial Port (F60F-0000-0012-941E)
Heaven's Keep (887A-0000-007F-C5A0)
Golden Fortress (0EE5-0000-0034-5018)

 

[Sir Alemeth]

Mario's Underground Adventure
(172A-0000-0093-7F70)
https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAACAAADVHkgkgiVEw

This is my 6th level. This one took me several weeks on and off to complete.
It's got lots of interesting and fun elements. However, it is on the more difficult side but completely doable.

Hope you enjoy it!

My other castle level:

Bowser's Labyrinth-Easy Version
(EA87-0000-0045-01B2)

 

[(mat)]

I played both of them. Really well made. Some spots felt like they could be finicky at first, but it always worked out surprisingly fast. Must have taken a lot of effort to time it like this!

In your Simple Puzzles, it's possible to take the second switch through the pipe if you're careful and skip the entire next part. Maybe secure the pipe with blocks? Fun level otherwise!

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed them!

The Simple Puzzles level I don't advertise much, because I know of the P switch cheat. That level was more to try out different mechanics that I thought were near. I'll fix it and add on to it eventually. Shows why playtesters are important. I didn't realize that was possible until I saw a streamer play it. Funny stuff.

 

[VandalD]

You've probably followed that shell before. You may have faced the reckoning. But now it's time for REVENGEANCE!

Follow That Shell 3: Revengeance
FEC1-0000-00A1-A63A ID in picture is now incorrect.

I'm not sure if this is harder than 2 or not. Should at least be a lot quicker to get the shell back if you lose it in this one

Spoiler

or do a foolish thing and pick it up yourself

.

 

[Jocchan]

I've fixed an exploit in the boss fight (plus another small one in the checkpoint system, and added some polish here and there) and then reuploaded my latest level, replacing the previous version.

Before And After The Apocalypse - (41AC-0000-0094-91CA)

Time travel between before and after a zombie apocalypse. Can Mario stop it and fix the future? As usual, three hidden 1up mushrooms to find.

Credit for the passcode system goes to Genotaru.


Feedback would be very appreciated.


Previous levels: http://abload.de/img/z_selectionnhadd.png

 

[Nostremitus]

If you remove a course from your uploaded selections, do you lose the stars it received?

 

[Jocchan]

If you remove a course from your uploaded selections, do you lose the stars it received?

No, you don't.

 

[Kebiinu]

Hey guys! I put together this stage here, and I feel like it's definitely a solid play. Lot's of secrets that encourage exploration, yet the pacing is linear and slowly increases in difficulty as the stage goes along, it's also pretty sweet to look at!

Check it out!

Saw-Blade Parade!

Bowser's been at it again! This time he's built a large complex set in the peaks of Mushroom Kingdom's tallest mountains. Heavily guarded with saw blades and minions, exploring the depths and layout of this complex, will be no easy feat. Despite the heights that our hero encounters, falling is but one of his many worries.

I hear Bowser even has his son guarding the place! Is this true?!

Stage ID: 0BBD-0000-0094-9F62

 

[VandalD]

Before And After The Apocalypse
41AC-0000-0094-91CA

Expected more of a puzzley feel with the switching back and forth, but it ended up more linear than I thought, though I only found a few one-ups. I liked it. Boss fight is good. Enough shrooms to keep you going, but not too many, I think. It eventually dawned on me that the donut blocks with the vines were probably meant to be potted plants. That was neat.

Hey guys! I put together this stage here, and I feel like it's definitely a solid play. Lot's of secrets that encourage exploration, yet the pacing is linear and slowly increases in difficulty as the stage goes along, it's also pretty sweet to look at!

Check it out!

Saw-Blade Parade!

This one also looks great. Good use of bob-ombs to blow stuff up. Had a habit of jumping into pipes that were going to shoot out bombs in this one for some reason. Liked it.

 

[KooopaKid]

Just spent several hours designing a workable, not too punishing boss battle for Planet 1-8, it's coming along quite nicely, but I still have to rely on power-ups to compensate the randomness of Bowser and where I want him to be.

Anyway, reposting my 2 latest levels, they don't have much plays

Planet 1-6:
Code: 3F6C-0000-0092-9BA3

Planet 1-5:
Code: 8A8B-0000-0084-433A

 

[Nostremitus]

No, you don't.

Thank you.

 

[J-Fr]

Feel feee to try the ones I posted at the top of this page

I tried Boo Switch-a-roo, pretty fun ghost house!

Fox and Peppy's Iron Sky: I really liked this stage, it felt very well balanced.
(Had a few heart attacks with the flames!)

Rescue the Koopa miners, put more than half an hour on this one. The moving plat-from inside the mines was really difficult (left you a comment on Miiverse) and the last row of Thwomps was partially outside of view (bumped a lot on the second one while avoiding the sawblades).


I will repost a few levels:


Super Koopa Land
ID: B0EF-0000-00D8-215C
Difficulty: Hard

Contains successive jumps on moving platforms, it requires some reflexes.
The last few jumps are tricky.

 

[Heropon]

I'm surprised by how the levels I've done that have around a 10% completion rate or lower are the ones that receive the most stars. I suppose people like more challenging levels when they aren't auto-play.

 

[Herb Alpert]

I've fixed an exploit in the boss fight (plus another small one in the checkpoint system, and added some polish here and there) and then reuploaded my latest level, replacing the previous version.

Before And After The Apocalypse - (41AC-0000-0094-91CA)

Time travel between before and after a zombie apocalypse. Can Mario stop it and fix the future? As usual, three hidden 1up mushrooms to find.

Credit for the passcode system goes to Genotaru.


Feedback would be very appreciated.


Previous levels: http://i.imgur.com/9HICuRt.png

Wow.I am amazed by the crazy amount of details. Great Idea, and great execution. I found the boss fight very cool!

My latest level feels so dumb now!

A PLUMBER'S TYPICAL DAY
a level about the hard work of plumbing, cause Mario has (probably) to pay the bills too.

BA02-0000-0092-6AD3

 

[Jocchan]

Expected more of a puzzley feel with the switching back and forth, but it ended up more linear than I thought, though I only found a few one-ups. I liked it. Boss fight is good. Enough shrooms to keep you going, but not too many, I think. It eventually dawned on me that the donut blocks with the vines were probably meant to be potted plants. That was neat.

Thanks! It wasn't intentionally heavy on puzzles: my previous levels were all puzzle-like or open ended, so I wanted to do something a bit different for once.
That said, finding mushroom #2 requires a little bit of effort, and you can find some more stuff by exploring.

EDIT: Oh, and yes! Those were indeed meant to be potted plants. I used donut blocks and mushroom platforms to represent all types of furniture.

Wow.I am amazed by the crazy amount of details. Great Idea, and great execution. I found the boss fight very cool!

My latest level feels so dumb now!

A PLUMBER'S TYPICAL DAY
a level about the hard work of plumbing, cause Mario has (probably) to pay the bills too.

BA02-0000-0092-6AD3

Thanks! Going to try your level for sure

Just spent several hours designing a workable, not too punishing boss battle for Planet 1-8, it's coming along quite nicely, but I still have to rely on power-ups to compensate the randomness of Bowser and where I want him to be.

Anyway, reposting my 2 latest levels, they don't have much plays

Played 1-1, 1-2, 1-5 and 1-6.
All good, especially the latter two. 1-2 suffers a bit from the lack of checkpoints, which makes deaths more annoying. 1-5 was quite creative, but the real surprise was 1-6. Using cloud tiles as atmosphere for the planetoids was already original and looked good by itself, and when I got to the

Spoiler

snake platforms made of clouds

everything clicked so well. Great job!

 

[Boy Wander]

Gotta repost my levels guys honestly they just don't get any plays any other way

Game and Watch Gallery

6A2E-0000-0080-5FFE

Game and Watch Gallery 2

B764-0000-0080-912C

Game and Watch Gallery 3

40CA-0000-0083-0549

Also, the best of my levels that I haven't put up in a while.. My upside down gravity shifting ghost house

Gravity Manor

C2FC-0000-0059-4C5C

And what I think is a tense but never unfair boss battle..

Castle Siege

EB0C-0000-0064-88B2

Obviously there's more but if you are really interested you would just go after one of these levels to check them out on my page.. As usual, I am going through playing GAF stages, but I'm not gonna lie and say it wouldn't boost your stages to the front of the list if I see you played my levels

I like your Game and Watch 3 level - didn't finish it but will come back to it as it was fun and challenging.

Being honest, I found the Castle level too tough. I think you could lose a few elements and still keep it challenging. The fire coming up from the ground near the p-switch for example. Also, do the blocks near the ground really need to be doughnut blocks. The P-Switch bit was very tight and I didn't clear all of the coins. My positioning then meant that I had no choice but to be killed by the fire bars. I didn't feel like I could have progressed faster because there were fireballs coming across the screen from the right. I see only 1 out of 40 attempts has cleared this level. I think it is well designed in general but needs to be a little more forgiving.

 

[Herb Alpert]

I'm surprised by how the levels I've done that have around a 10% completion rate or lower are the ones that receive the most stars. I suppose people like more challenging levels when they aren't auto-play.

Some of my levels have a 0% clear rate. And I don't think they are too difficult...
IMO the majority of players don't like too long levels and they don't like to die. They die a couple of times, then swipe the screen and try another level. Randoms just don't want to bother.

Speaking about a 0% clear rate, does it qualifies the level to appear in the expert challenges?

This level has not been beaten yet, and I don't understand why :

MARIO IN THE SKY WITH BOB-OMBS

EBC3-0000-007D-279E

Open the way to the treasure! The key is hidden on a floating island in the sky! You have to bring it back!

 

[andytjm]

I have updated my previous level Uncover the Flag thanks to some advice in this thread. It's hopefully much better now.

I have also created a new Zelda Water Dungeon. There are lot's of puzzles and plenty of backtracking.

Hopefully you find them fun.

 

[Jeeves]

Anyway, reposting my 2 latest levels, they don't have much plays

Played 1-6 but I didn't finish. There's a part where you have to drop on top of a cloud bubble and then enter the bubble from the left to access the warp pipe. Problem is, there's fish hopping around down there that jump into the bottom of Mario's shoes and pop him back up on top of the clouds or the mushroom platform. And with the stage being an auto-scroll, you don't really get a second chance. Happened to me three times. I did like the concept, but I assume that little part is challenging for reasons you didn't intend.

 

[Heropon]

Some of my levels have a 0% clear rate. And I don't think they are too difficult...
IMO the majority of players don't like too long levels and they don't like to die. They die a couple of times, then swipe the screen and try another level. Randoms just don't want to bother.

Speaking about a 0% clear rate, does it qualifies the level to appear in the expert challenges?

This level has not been beaten yet, and I don't understand why :

MARIO IN THE SKY WITH BOB-OMBS

EBC3-0000-007D-279E

Open the way to the treasure! The key is hidden on a floating island in the sky! You have to bring it back!

I've cleared it and while you're right that it isn't that difficult I think I know why it has such a low completion rate The problem comes when you don't carry the p-switch back to the start of the level and you find that you can't beat the level. Unwinnable scenarios like these should be avoided because as you can see thanks to the % when someone ends in that situation it's pretty likely for them to lose interest and skip the level.

But apart from that the level was pretty good, so nice work!

 

[andytjm]

Some of my levels have a 0% clear rate. And I don't think they are too difficult...
IMO the majority of players don't like too long levels and they don't like to die. They die a couple of times, then swipe the screen and try another level. Randoms just don't want to bother.

Speaking about a 0% clear rate, does it qualifies the level to appear in the expert challenges?

This level has not been beaten yet, and I don't understand why :

MARIO IN THE SKY WITH BOB-OMBS

EBC3-0000-007D-279E

Open the way to the treasure! The key is hidden on a floating island in the sky! You have to bring it back!

I just beat your level. I liked the idea however there were a few problems I noticed.

Instead of using those blocks for the vines maybe use question blocks as it took me a little while to work out I had to hit them, which is a problem since you have a short time limit.

Also, there is no way of knowing you need the p-switch for as long as you do.

Other than that I didn't think it was too hard and it was a good, fun level.

 

[Jocchan]

I've cleared it and while you're right that it isn't that difficult I think I know why it has such a low completion rate The problem comes when you don't carry the p-switch back to the start of the level and you find that you can't beat the level. Unwinnable scenarios like these should be avoided because as you can see thanks to the % when someone ends in that situation it's pretty likely for them to lose interest and skip the level.

And even if you do carry it, there's

Spoiler

a long stretch that you need to run through while the P switch is still running, with no indication whatsoever beforehand. If you wasted a few seconds to pick up the coins in front of the fortress before entering there, you won't make it and fall to your death with some text suggesting to try again. After what you need to go through to get there, I wouldn't be surprised if most players just said "nope" and skipped the level.

Everything else was pretty good, and the part with the Bob-Ombs was neat

 

[NetMapel]

Heya you guys. I will be streaming Mario Maker in about half an hour This time, the format will be a little different as I will be testing it out on Twitch for the first time ever ! Testing out some fancy features on Twitch as well so I appreciate if any of you guys can come in and help out ! Also, I am opening up level submit for general Twitch viewers as well but I want to give you guys the heads up first 15 minutes max per level this time and I will have a timer ready 1 stage per user for now please ! Once again, I'm a pretty average Mario player, so please have mercy on my soul GAFers !

Submit stage here: http://goo.gl/forms/rGfK5jmZpi
Queue list here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dqPxC0SylszPG6j9W8RqJQP7oWKfhaD_Upo7khKvIoA/edit?usp=sharing

See you guys in half an hour @ http://twitch.tv/shibafan/

 

[Heropon]

A new level that I made yesterday and for some reason only two people have played it.

Super Mario Spooky Land
ID: EBDD-0000-0091-ED80

It's a take on an overworld level with the ghost house theme. Not very difficult but I hope fellow gaffers can find it enjoyable.

 

[Shamrock7r]

Heya you guys. I will be streaming Mario Maker in about half an hour This time, the format will be a little different as I will be testing it out on Twitch for the first time ever ! Testing out some fancy features on Twitch as well so I appreciate if any of you guys can come in and help out ! Also, I am opening up level submit for general Twitch viewers as well but I want to give you guys the heads up first 15 minutes max per level this time and I will have a timer ready

Submit stage here: http://goo.gl/forms/rGfK5jmZpi
Queue list here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...RqJQP7oWKfhaD_Upo7khKvIoA/edit#gid=1247701977

See you guys in half an hour @ http://twitch.tv/shibafan/

Need permission to see the queue list. Also, is there a limit on level submission? I had 2 I wanted to share.

 

[Jocchan]

Heya you guys. I will be streaming Mario Maker in about half an hour This time, the format will be a little different as I will be testing it out on Twitch for the first time ever ! Testing out some fancy features on Twitch as well so I appreciate if any of you guys can come in and help out ! Also, I am opening up level submit for general Twitch viewers as well but I want to give you guys the heads up first 15 minutes max per level this time and I will have a timer ready

Submit stage here: http://goo.gl/forms/rGfK5jmZpi
Queue list here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...RqJQP7oWKfhaD_Upo7khKvIoA/edit#gid=1247701977

See you guys in half an hour @ http://twitch.tv/shibafan/

Submitted one of mine. Thanks!

EDIT: Plus one more if you happen to still have time. Otherwise please feel free to ignore it.

 

[NetMapel]

Need permission to see the queue list. Also, is there a limit on level submission? I had 2 I wanted to share.

Hey thanks for letting me know about the spreadsheet. I updated its viewership permission so hopefully you guys can see it now As for how many levels to submit, I will keep it 1 level per user for now. Let's see how many levels I get including ones from Twitch, I can open up for 2 levels later So, stay tune in the stream and chat !

Thank you guys for submitting your levels so far !

 

[Kebiinu]

A new level that I made yesterday and for some reason only two people have played it.



Super Mario Spooky Land
ID: EBDD-0000-0091-ED80

It's a take on an overworld level with the ghost house theme. Not very difficult but I hope fellow gaffers can find it enjoyable.

Just played this stage! It's excellent! I like how it wasn't an obnoxious tricky ghost house, and good use of subworlds too!

I'm gonna play the rest of your stages too.

 

[CharminUltra]

Anyone know where I can find a downloadable sample of Luigy's YEAHHHHH? That shit is too funny.

 

[cloudyboy]

I've made four levels now with the Ashley character. Cool to see others are fans too. I'll check yours out tonight.

Thank you, hope you will like it!

 

[Gotdatmoney]

Hey guys, so I have finally completed my 7th level. This is probably my most conceptual level in that I don't follow the classic Mario layout all my other levels follow. That said I spent a lot of time working on this one (even saw a lot of people do similar concepts while I was working on it) so I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

I decided to use the ground theme from SMB3 again but this is the first time I have used it for a normal level as the other time it was ice. I tried to create the feeling of a living forest with trees and hill/mountain type structures. But to add a twist the bob ombs are attacking and destroying everything. O added a sub world and some verticality. Its also by far my longest and hardest stage. I didn't add any alternate paths this time.

I would really love feedback on this one because it is completely new territory for me. I present:

Bob-Omb's Forest Assault
9AAC-0000-0094-D6F8

 

[Heropon]

Just played this stage! It's excellent! I like how it wasn't an obnoxious tricky ghost house, and good use of subworlds too!

I'm gonna play the rest of your stages too.

Thanks for the feedback and the stars! Your stages are pretty good too, it's a pleasure playing them.

 

[VandalD]

Submit stage here: http://goo.gl/forms/rGfK5jmZpi
Queue list here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dqPxC0SylszPG6j9W8RqJQP7oWKfhaD_Upo7khKvIoA/edit?usp=sharing

See you guys in half an hour @ http://twitch.tv/shibafan/

Sent one in, but can't watch the majority of the stream. Twitch with no video quality controls absolutely destroys my bandwidth, so I'll just try to catch mine being played if you get to it. Good luck!

 

[HylianHero12]

Ok, so since I haven't gotten a single star yet and have very low completion, I have to decided to post my three courses here to find out if I'm just bad at making courses.

1) Goombas!!! (FA1B-0000-0028-B4AF) - Ok, this one I think may be bad, or at least unfair. I made this first as an experiment and the theme is basically just Goombas EVERYWHERE. It didn't quite pan out how I had hoped. I totally understand if people think it's bad.

2) Take the High Road (7911-0000-0030-ACF2) - My idea with this one was to make a path up top for some more challenge while having a slightly more forgiving lower path. A hint for the top path: The timing goes better if you move faster.

3) Metroid Mania (7303-0000-008D-8F4A) - I really wanted to make a Metroid themed level with the Amiibo functionality. I think it turned out fairly well. I experimented with different ways to fight bosses and such. Luckily, my original idea for the final boss didn't make the cut (

Spoiler

apparently it takes 40 shells to defeat Super Bowser

).

I hope at least one of these is enjoyable to play. Now to try out some of your courses.

Hey guys, so I have finally completed my 7th level. This is probably my most conceptual level in that I don't follow the classic Mario layout all my other levels follow. That said I spent a lot of time working on this one (even saw a lot of people do similar concepts while I was working on it) so I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

I decided to use the ground theme from SMB3 again but this is the first time I have used it for a normal level as the other time it was ice. I tried to create the feeling of a living forest with trees and hill/mountain type structures. But to add a twist the bob ombs are attacking and destroying everything. O added a sub world and some verticality. Its also by far my longest and hardest stage. I didn't add any alternate paths this time.

I would really love feedback on this one because it is completely new territory for me. I present:

Bob-Omb's Forest Assault
9AAC-0000-0094-D6F8

I really like this. The first part seemed a little slow and easy, but it really fits the theme. And I really liked the part

Spoiler

where you had to knock the Bullet Bill cannon to advance

.

A new level that I made yesterday and for some reason only two people have played it.



Super Mario Spooky Land
ID: EBDD-0000-0091-ED80

It's a take on an overworld level with the ghost house theme. Not very difficult but I hope fellow gaffers can find it enjoyable.

This was very interesting. Very good balance of having challenge without being frustrating. And the feeling of exploration in a spooky setting was nice.

I should have started playing levels in this thread earlier.

 

[CrisKre]

Heya you guys. I will be streaming Mario Maker in about half an hour This time, the format will be a little different as I will be testing it out on Twitch for the first time ever ! Testing out some fancy features on Twitch as well so I appreciate if any of you guys can come in and help out ! Also, I am opening up level submit for general Twitch viewers as well but I want to give you guys the heads up first 15 minutes max per level this time and I will have a timer ready 1 stage per user for now please ! Once again, I'm a pretty average Mario player, so please have mercy on my soul GAFers !

Submit stage here: http://goo.gl/forms/rGfK5jmZpi
Queue list here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dqPxC0SylszPG6j9W8RqJQP7oWKfhaD_Upo7khKvIoA/edit?usp=sharing

See you guys in half an hour @ http://twitch.tv/shibafan/

Playing my level now! Thanks duder!!

 

[Nerrel]

I've learned a few things that I think are helping me out with my level designs:

1. Play your levels back to back in world mode. This can give you some perspective on the difficulty and quality of your level that playing the same stage alone over and over can't. You may find that a course sticks out for being too difficult in direct comparison to others, or the opposite. Or a course you thought was interesting isn't really when coming off the heels of your other work.

2. Always switch the visual styles before finalizing. I usually start with a specific game or level type in mind, but sometimes you'll be surprised by the impact a different sprite set may have. Even if you have to sacrifice some design elements to change themes, finding the best match for your course can enhance the character by a lot.


3. Avoid NSMBU unless you need wall jumping or ground pounds. Seriously... the New! games were already notorious for being bland, but comparing the visuals directly to the older games makes it pathetically clear how cheap and soulless it is. It makes me wonder how much more highly praised NSMBU would be if it had actually had great sprite-based art design.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

3. Avoid NSMBU unless you need wall jumping or ground pounds. Seriously... the New! games were already notorious for being bland, but comparing the visuals directly to the older games makes it pathetically clear how cheap and soulless it is. It makes me wonder how much more highly praised NSMBU would be if it had actually had great sprite-based art design.

I never really liked how either SMB3 or SMW looked in the first place. In particular, NSMBU has far and away the best castle tile set out of these 4 games too, imo.

 

[ciD_Vain]

Reposting my level. It's a follow up to my other level Crystal Countdown Cavern. This one is a bit more challenging and still used the P-Switch in various ways Codes for both below.

Bob-Omb's Forest Assault
9AAC-0000-0094-D6F8[/B]

I actually really liked this! Difficulty was just right and you had some cool ideas with the bob-ombs.

Hi guys. I rebuilt a level I made earlier trying to make it a bit more fair (and using pipes for transitions since I didn't have them last time). So far it has 3 stars out of 9 plays, but no one has beaten it yet. I'd like to see someone beat it though! I don't think it's too hard, but then again I made it. If nobody beats it in a couple days, I'll have to go back to the drawing board on some sections.

Pokemon Stadium v2 - e347-0000-0092-df90

Comments are welcome, but it might be a bit before I see them in here. Thanks!

Played and beat it just now. I liked this stage. Cool to see how each part of the level catered to the type of Pokemon that was being used.

 

[Gotdatmoney]

Some of my levels have a 0% clear rate. And I don't think they are too difficult...
IMO the majority of players don't like too long levels and they don't like to die. They die a couple of times, then swipe the screen and try another level. Randoms just don't want to bother.

Speaking about a 0% clear rate, does it qualifies the level to appear in the expert challenges?

This level has not been beaten yet, and I don't understand why :

MARIO IN THE SKY WITH BOB-OMBS

EBC3-0000-007D-279E

Open the way to the treasure! The key is hidden on a floating island in the sky! You have to bring it back!

The answer to why the completion rate is so low for this one is easy. There is zero reason anyone would expect to have to carry that P switch the distance to which it is required to beat the level. Nor shoukd they even have to. There is almost no net benefit to placing the p switch as far away from the pipe as you placed it. Fix that and the completion rate would go way up.

 

[HylianHero12]

Some of my levels have a 0% clear rate. And I don't think they are too difficult...
IMO the majority of players don't like too long levels and they don't like to die. They die a couple of times, then swipe the screen and try another level. Randoms just don't want to bother.

Speaking about a 0% clear rate, does it qualifies the level to appear in the expert challenges?

This level has not been beaten yet, and I don't understand why :

MARIO IN THE SKY WITH BOB-OMBS

EBC3-0000-007D-279E

Open the way to the treasure! The key is hidden on a floating island in the sky! You have to bring it back!

Ok. Overall, I liked the level. It's the first time I've seen how to do vertical-like levels and I really like that part. However, I think the timer is too low for having the "Try Again message". I also got stuck in an unwinnable situation with the clown car once since it can get stuck up where you are supposed to go if you jump out of it (technically, this is my fault for messing up and jumping out of it). And my biggest complaint with the course is the camera bouncing up and down. There are times when I can't see the ground I'm standing on. I don't know if that was intentional or not. I liked the course, though one mess up with the P-Switch basically means you have to start over (which could be your intention).

OK. I decided to Shia LaBeouf it and threw together a submission form for difficult but fair courses. Quote for the link and please be considerate about sharing it.

The final list will be made public for anyone who wants a hellish playlist of well designed, challenging courses. The exact process of whittling down the list will be about as unscientific as these things usually go but I will do my best to consider things from as many angles as I can. Anyone who would like to help in reviewing the courses give me a PM and we can figure something out.

Fair warning, if this gif makes you nope then this is probably not for you. That said dense, hellish courses are not the only ones up for consideration. Anything that challenges the player is acceptable whether that is skill, puzzles, scoring, or something else entirely.

What is more important is weeding out bad difficulty design. Good and bad are subjective and context is king and so on and so forth, so here is a list of things that I personally think account for bad design. Keep in mind every single thing in this list can have exceptions and is not necessarily an immediate fail.

1. Suicide as a learning mechanism. This one is a biggie. Blind jumps with a very high probability of death unless you land on the single platform off the screen is not clever. Asshole hidden blocks were really funny about a decade ago. Anything that requires the player to learn something where the outcome is certain death will be heavily scrutinized.
2. Requiring glitches for progress. Using some strange physics behavior that requires frame accuracy to progress in a level can be fascinating but not really what this list is about.
3. Towering enemies/spam. Yes, it is very cool that you can stack 50 enemies on top of each other, and spawn endless amounts of hell. This can go very bad, very quickly. Approach with caution.
4. Wasting the player's time. This is very tricky. Some people find analyzing and observing a stage boring. "Stop wasting my time" is subjective. Here are a few examples of time wasters that can often be designed around.
5. Difficulty ramp. If the entire course is being used but the really challenging bit is right at the end then that means the player has to go through a bunch of filler to get to the good part.
6. Extremely obscure puzzle solving. If you have to find a hidden block with a bomb in the very top left corner of the course and then know you have to carry that all the way to the end then all that has happened is delaying the real challenge, wasting the player's time.
7. Super human pixel accuracy. This one is dear to my heart. Good patterns. Tight timing windows. Difficult executions. I am a fan. There is a big difference between a timing window that is 100ms, and 10ms.
8. RNG. This one is tough. Enemy AI can be unpredictable and as such very exciting. RNG on its own is not bad design, but can very often be used in bad ways. Scenarios where the player dies because they have no options and just has to hope for a run with fortunate RNG is often wasting their time.

This list is not absolute and it is definitely not exhaustive. Just trying to make it clear that I will be working hard to create a final list of solid courses. Don't be shy about submitting your course, even if you think it isn't very hard. Challenge comes in a lot of forms.

I'm not going to lie, I want to play the level in that image.

 

[bulletbill10]

Hi guys. I rebuilt a level I made earlier trying to make it a bit more fair (and using pipes for transitions since I didn't have them last time). So far it has 3 stars out of 9 plays, but no one has beaten it yet. I'd like to see someone beat it though! I don't think it's too hard, but then again I made it. If nobody beats it in a couple days, I'll have to go back to the drawing board on some sections.

Pokemon Stadium v2 - e347-0000-0092-df90

Comments are welcome, but it might be a bit before I see them in here. Thanks!

 

[Cuburt]

I uploaded the third chapter of "y cant metroid shoot?" today, about Norfair/Ridley, and since Tourian has already been published, this means the whole series is complete.

Here's an overview of the series, which asked quite a lot of work (a week per level on average):

(each column of screenshots is from a specific chapter, so Ridley's screenshots are on the 3rd column. Samus is on every screenshot to illustrate the spirit of the series, but her costume is actually one powerup among others.)

You can check my other levels in:

- My (French) blog
- Nintendo Life
- MarioMakerHub

Well designed levels that really adapts the original Metroid well. I've played them all and I suggest anyone who hasn't played them yet to give them a try.

 

[Cuburt]

After much painstaking tweaking, I've created another level remake.

Zelda II: Parapa Palace

(214A-0000-0094-F5C7)

In the same vein as my Donkey Kong Jr. remake, I've tried to make it play like the original as much as I can, of course with a few tweaks. It has a little more Metroid-style backtracking put in than the original level, but I don't think it should make it too hard nor too confusing. Also there is a checkpoint of sorts I put in to make it more manageable if you die. Let me know what you think of it, especially regarding the checkpoint, the difficulty, and the final boss.


If you haven't played my Donkey Kong Jr. remake, give it a try:

Monty Kong Jr.

(B5CA-0000-0083-5492)

 

[HylianHero12]

I made a new level.

Could probably pass for an early Halloween level.

This level is fantastic. I never knew a single level of a platformer could have so many twists and turns thematically. The end was pretty intense.

 

[SmiteOfHand]

I'm not going to lie, I want to play the level in that image.

Knock yourself out! 1 person has beaten it. 778 Attempts. <3

danmaku (B75F-0000-0080-7CB6)