I present to you guys The Mario Trials 3
FDBB-0000-008F-B56E
To all you bastards who cheesed through the previous Mario Trials, you will love what i have here
this is what happens when you guys unlock evil naar. I was content on being nice and innocent, but no, you didnt want that.
I still rate this 3/5 in difficulty. the next in the series is where i plan to have things get hard
also would love to watch someone play this level. so let me know if anyone is streaming today so i can watch their play
After the feedback received (BIG THANK YOU to Koopa Kid and J-Fr for their spot-on reviews) I´ve remade Dry Bones' Disposal Center 1 totally from scratch. The level focuses on the same mechanics (Dry Bones and moving walls) but is totally different. I made the level in about 3 hours (plus 1 hour of planning), then spent around 3 more hours polishing it. These are the main differences:
- Toned down difficulty A LOT.
- Removed all situations where instant death was possible.
- Total overhaul of the moving walls sections, making them easier, faster to get through and mixing the main mechanics better.
- Used yellow bridges for the platforms in the moving walls sections so they stand up more and the path to follow is clearer.
- Used coins extensively to mark the path.
- Less Dry Bones used, placed in more accessible locations and no bones will come from offscreen.
- Implemented a cool password system (big thanks to Reddit user genotaru). This allows for 2 checkpoints in the level in a much user-friendly way.
- The whole layout is clearer and less confusing.
- Mechanics are introduced and expanded in a much better way.
I´m pretty happy with the result and I really think the level has improved a lot, so please, play it and comment:
Dry Bones´ Disposal Center 1.1
CCC0-0000-007D-5C55
Hope you guys enjoy it
I'm more than happy to keep critiquing others' bodies of work indefinitely. Just keep sending requests my way with a code and I'll give you as detailed and constructive of an opinion as I can.
Just looking for more feedback on the course I uploaded yesterday. Got to watch it streamed which was helpful but some constructive (or destructive, I'm not sensitive) criticism would be great
The Forgotten Facility
20B2-0000-0082-D759
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Hi Jon, here's my video playthrough of your level for feedback, hope you like watching it, thanks for sharing:
https://youtu.be/ubRV-0XBhdY
EDIT: Ok, "exploratory" was not the right word to use, but I hope you get my point
New course!
Return to Dinosaur Land 3: Spiny´s Underground Garden
3BCC-0000-0096-8023
For the Dry Bone´s Disposal Center levels, just play levels 1.1 and 1.2, I´m going to delete the rest. Cool initiative!
I played sewer city. It was good. At first I did not catch on about being small to entee so I just went around in circles. After I figured that out it was pretty simple. I would say you should put an arrow pointing to that small hole as I imagine a lot of people missed it. The other piece of advice I have is to use a pipe to regenerate the star. I didnt make ut down that path the first time. I was stacked with enough power ups for it not to matter but just a thought. Starred
As for your first level, I kept getting sent back to the beginning and couldn't figure out where to go. Combined with what felt like enemy spam at times, I just didn't want to continue.
I enjoyed it. I found it to be pretty challenging. There are good ideas here (the P-switch to Bob-omb puzzle, buzzsaw chase, room full of active Bob-ombs). There seemed to be a lack of powerups as I only found two mushrooms early on and none later which made the level kinda unforgiving. Maybe I didn't explore enough though.
Played your mechanical giant level. It was fun! The part with the buzz saws and conveyor belts was a little tough, but overall I loved the set pieces (like the Bob-ombs). Very nice. Star.
Planet 1-6:
Code: 3F6C-0000-0092-9BA3
Planet 1-5:
Code: 8A8B-0000-0084-433A
Had to play this one again because I couldn't remember much about it. The problem you've got are a couple of P switches are from question blocks, and if you run everywhere it's quite easy to pick up and throw unintentionally into the abyss, forcing a restart. The second issue is the boss fight. Whilst a neat idea, you've made the level too open so that you can just jump up a few times and exit out of the door. Taking a hit or two in the process isn't a problem either as you've placed 3 fire flowers on the way to the exit! Last of all, I'd question the usefulness of having a section with Bob-ombs to explode spinning blocks beneath you in SMW, as you can just as easily spin jump your way through them.
The first level was pretty solid, felt deceptively open although it runs into the issue a lot of airship levels do where the bottom/top get cut off due to the movement.
For the second level, I didn't like how tight the area with the bom-ombs was... and I didn't get to finish the level as this level also manged to hard lock my Wii U! Ended up running past the three Bowser Jrs. at one point, grabbed a P switch to turn some coins into blocks and and ka-chunk. Weird. D:
Will there be a 1-7 too, I wonder?I love when gameplay ideas and the puzzle design dictates the theme and look of the level, it works best for me, rather than the other way around. The level I had in mind for Planet 1-8 looks totally different now than before the puzzles were in place. Seems EAD is working like this too (Basic and crude looking prototype, then trying to come up with a look that suits the gameplay mechanics).
Can't wait to share 1-8 as it has an original boss fight and 3 unseen puzzles in SMM (From what I saw in SMM so far).
Reposting my last two levels which had a good reception so far :
I just watched it, thanks a lot for the video. I like a lot this concept of stage but it seems everyone likes to play more "fast paced-less exploratory" stages, I can imagine many people skipping it after a few deaths in 100 Mario mode. I guess this concept doesn´t suit the general public´s taste or the game modes present in SMM. Anyway, it´s really helped me a lot watching someone else play it to detect some flaws in the design, thanks again!Hi Jon, here's my video playthrough of your level for feedback, hope you like watching it, thanks for sharing:
https://youtu.be/ubRV-0XBhdY
EDIT: Ok, "exploratory" was not the right word to use, but I hope you get my point
Thanks! After making so many slow paced or puzzle based levels I wanted to make a more traditional platforming one which required some skill, glad you liked it!I already played it yesterday evening (not sure if it was the final version). Really fun level! I didn't find the secret room though, gonna have to play it again.
Yeah, just what I was talking just above with Model 500, I think the slow pacing and length of the level make it easy to loose interest in it. It´s really not that hard if you proceed with care and be patiente, but that requires a radical change of mind from the other 99.999% of SMM levels (and it´s not as "instantly" fun).I also played (and despaired at) your Dry Bone's Disposal Center levels. Great ideas all around, just a bit too hard. Glad to see you went back and re-made them!
MARIOWOOD
(9571-0000-008F-EE78)
After a series of commercial flops, our washed-up hero travels to the huge sign once erected in his honor, which has now fallen into disrepair. Will this be his last journey? Is there no more room for old school heroes in this world?
One Minute in Heaven
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A 60 second speed run across some airships. I also put in some secret short-cuts. If you find them all, you can clear it much faster. My record is 21 seconds.
Treasure of the 99 Dead Pirates
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Can you get back all 99 coins from the pirates who killed your father?
Still the creation I'm most proud of. There are three different areas that can be explored without any backtracking.
Let me know what you think and I'll make sure to give your levels a try as well!
Awesome level, really can't think of anything to criticise, well done! Also lol@the zoo, that one caught me off guard as I didn't read your whole description. I already named my Spiny <New course!
Return to Dinosaur Land 3: Spiny´s Underground Garden
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Mario has reached the Vanilla Dome only to discover that it has been turned into an underground greenhouse. There, Munchers are being grown as part of a terrible plan to terraform Dinosaur Land (seriously, Bowser, this scheme makes no sense at all!). Mario must cross this dangerous garden, but he must face the fierce Spiny guards to do so... Mario, spinjump to victory!
I just watched it, thanks a lot for the video. I like a lot this concept of stage but it seems everyone likes to play more "fast paced-less exploratory" stages, I can imagine many people skipping it after a few deaths in 100 Mario mode. I guess this concept doesn´t suit the general public´s taste or the game modes present in SMM. Anyway, it´s really helped me a lot watching someone else play it to detect some flaws in the design, thanks again!
Oh BTW, those powerups trapped in stone blocks were passwords and the bizarre room right at the beginning was the place to input them so you couls warp to other parts of the level. But from what I´ve seen it´s difficult to explain such system during gameplay, no one seems to be getting the message
..... But i still wonder if i can edit my level already uploaded and keep my stars/comments on it ? Is that possible ?
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Lady Siara (6D34-0000-003F-420E): Several Hammer Bros are spread over the level, which makes it too difficult for a 1-1. Running is required in certain parts and I saw some things that made no sense, like a Spiny trapped between some blocks and only accesible from above (which would kill the player), but in a place where it was easy to see, so I really couldn´t understand the purpose of it, it felt really out of place.
Lady Siara - I think Hammer Bros are too tricky in this game for an early level, and in a bonus room there's not much room to manuver against one. Giving a fire flower would make these encounters much easier.
Is the feet icon the number of unique players? And then number below clear rate the number of clears vs attempts?
Name - 1-1:Flora garden's plain
ID: D9EC-0000-0082-50A0
Brief description: A new Mario adventure begins! Flowers surely embellish the view quite well, but never forget to be careful, especially for possible secrets hiding even where you wouldn't expect them.
Main challenge (for all NSMBM levels) - Find the 4 1 Ups + the hidden 1 Up
Sub-challenge 1 - Beat the level in less than 25 seconds
Sub-challenge 2 - Beat the level in less than 20 seconds
Played through your stages after reading your interesting conversation with B_Bech. I love it. Very creative (I didn't even know that P-switches stop conveyor belts for example and the boo riding had me amazed too), challenging with a very good feel of reward for solving specific routes / tasks (like getting fire flowers which will then help take another special route), just great level design. Yes they are somewhat trial and error at the beginning (especially your spring and castle stage), but once they click it's real fun.Ghost of a Chance
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My previous stages:
Bait-and-Switch Beltway - 8805-0000-0067-E3B4
Take the 'A' Train - F5F2-0000-0040-42D2
It Might as Well Be Spring - 128A-0000-002B-853E
Is this your course? Because I can make it to about a block from the Underground Zone Warp Pipe and I can't figure out if I'm just not skilled enough or I'm missing something. And it's really bothering me. I just played this course for 5 hours straight. I feel like I can sleepwalk the first section and most of the second. But I cannot get past it.
Damn, I just feel that I am not good enough of a 2D Mario player to make great levels.
Whenever I make something remotely tricky I can hardly beat it myself :-/
Are you talking about the pipe in the center of the room, next to the burning heart?
1 Clear. 1762 Attempts. 0.05% Clear Rate. danmaku (B75F-0000-0080-7CB6)
If so and depending on how you are going about it the timing can be very deceiving. You want to be behind the giant fire wheel, not ahead of it. And if you miss either one of the running jumps to the falling platforms you are dead.
Will there be a 1-7 too, I wonder?
New course!
Return to Dinosaur Land 3: Spiny´s Underground Garden
3BCC-0000-0096-8023
Mario has reached the Vanilla Dome only to discover that it has been turned into an underground greenhouse. There, Munchers are being grown as part of a terrible plan to terraform Dinosaur Land (seriously, Bowser, this scheme makes no sense at all!). Mario must cross this dangerous garden, but he must face the fierce Spiny guards to do so... Mario, spinjump to victory!
I made this level almost a week ago, but I´ve let it sleep to polish it and balance difficulty, as the penalty is indivisible of the challenges. The level is focused on spin jumping on Spinies, it starts with some simple layouts with static Spinies and grows from there, ending with moving Spinies with obstacles and vines. I think the mechanic progression is good and trains the player for the coming challenges.
Yep, that's it. I didn't realize that was a heart.
Edit: And I did it. I was trying to go ahead of the fire bar and I was so close to the pipe I thought that was how I did it. My blood pressure and I thank you. I think that I am responsible for at least 800 of the new attempts though.
I'd be thrilled if anyone could try this level. It's one that I think is very fun to play:
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I never doubted you for a moment! Everyone was all HylianHero12 will never pull it off. "Have you seen the training montages?" I reminded them. But their faith and resolve was weak.
You can't edit uploaded levels, because imagine what people would do...get a lot of people to play the level, have it rated easy, then edit it to make it super difficult so that people in easy 100 Mario Challenge will suffer.
You have to delete the level and re-upload it. This loses all the comments, stats etc., but you still keep your overall star count for unlocking purposes.
Hi Jon, here's my video playthrough of your level for feedback, hope you like watching it, thanks for sharing:
https://youtu.be/ubRV-0XBhdY
EDIT: Ok, "exploratory" was not the right word to use, but I hope you get my point
Alright some GAF stages I played yesterday in my trial with Twitch. The video is now finally uploaded to YouTube. If I played your stages, feel free to check them out ! The video and their associated stages are described as below. Too bad the stream went above 2-3 hours so it got split into two videos by Twitch
A lot of stages I wasn't able to complete because of the 15 minute limit. There are also some stages that's just way too hard and beyond my skills. However, most of them are pretty fun and I hope you guys enjoyed watching the stream !
Playing viewers level with !mario Come hang out Pt 1
Twitch names:
andytjm - F6D7-0000-0092-6618 (I really like this level !)
Jocchan - 41AC-0000-0094-91CA
Spartacris - 8C80-0000-0091-14B6
Shamrock8r - 6DE2-0000-0089-BB03
granth1974 - 5E3D-0000-0088-008F
Thud - 06F9-0000-0091-EEE7
Kebiinu - 0BBD-0000-0094-9F62
VandalD - 99CE-0000-0094-95E9
MetagameMike - 4FE8-0000-007D-EE78
Gotdatmoney - EBC3-0000-007D-279E
Playing viewers level with !mario Come hang out Pt 2
Twitch names:
Ivanzypher - DCB8-0000-003E-4FE5
Malaikatt - C223-0000-007C-888A
Kinggroin - 401A-0000-0086-442D
Acejax - D637-0000-0090-6EBA
Broggiedoge - BB64-0000-008A-CE00
Nobodycouldsaymyoldname - D0E8-0000-0054-F4A2
ciD_Vain - 5B84-0000-0093-355F (Yikes can't even make it past the first area ?)
Naar82 - 8FBD-0000-0091-F0E1 (Naar pls !)
Played The Tower of the Warlocks. It was pretty tricky at first but I quickly realized that once you enter the tower, you can grab the mushroom fly straight through to the magikoopas and kill all of them within three seconds.Adding two more levels. Finding Nimo P) in particular I thought was rather fun and intense. Tower of the Warlocks is the spiritual sequel to my other level "The Cake Is A LIE".
Finding Nimo (05F4-0000-0095-6CC0)
The Tower of the Warlocks (448D-0000-0095-5D8C)
Haha yeahhh...... There quite a few "bugs" with this level. Ex. it's in your best interest to grab all the mushrooms even if you don't need them, because there's a chance that they'll get turned into enemies or obstacles, BUT if one of them gets turned into a giant Cheep Cheep and that Cheep Cheep gets redirected, there is a chance it'll run right into the Magikoopas and force them to change direction, which means you're screwed if you're not Super Mario. Luckily, this section is just 5 screens long, so it's not too bad as long as it doesn't happen too early during the fight.Played The Tower of the Warlocks. It was pretty tricky at first but I quickly realized that once you enter the tower, you can grab the mushroom fly straight through to the magikoopas and kill all of them within three seconds.
Well, thank you!Just played:
McNum
BOO'S INVERTED HAUNT
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Excellent level. Streamlined execution of a great idea. And a clever choice of level elements that underline the illusion.
Neki
ROSALINA AND THE FLOATING TOWERS
BBB0-0000-0074-53B1
I do like the general idea and layout of the floating towers. But the platforming challenges and overall level design seemed too erratic and sometimes arbitrary to me. Despite not being super hard overall, enemy and obstacle placement also felt unfair at times. And there are simply too many different types of enemies and obstacles throughout the course, which makes the level feel a bit unfocused.
I have played this one a while ago but I don't think I ever brought it up here:
Jocchan
DON'T TRUST THE COINS
453F-0000-004C-10A9
Again, this is a simple concept, but executed extremely well. Made me laugh quite a few times, usually whenever I screwed up, realizing how much readjusting my brain truly needed. None of which was the level's fault, which communicates its idea adeptly, without ever resorting to unfair tactics or overt telegraphing.
And I don't think this guy is a gaffer, but I wanted to give a shoutout again to user Gilder/Dimentios' levels. Try these 3:
Aerial Port (F60F-0000-0012-941E)
Heaven's Keep (887A-0000-007F-C5A0)
Golden Fortress (0EE5-0000-0034-5018)
All with a wonderful Nintendo like design. Really, some of the best courses I've played.
edit: AHA! Dimentios is a gaffer after all... cool! http://www.neogaf.com/forum/member.php?u=447991
I amAnyone else interested in having their body of work critiqued? I'm in an analytical/helpful mood.
I'd love if you analyzed my progression.My analysis:
Anyone else interested in having their body of work critiqued? I'm in an analytical/helpful mood.
Anyone else interested in having their body of work critiqued? I'm in an analytical/helpful mood.
Yo Timetokill, played one of your Title Fight! iterations and liked it, here's my playthrough video as a form of feedback (my phones battery died in the midst of one round so there's a small interruption somewhere):
https://youtu.be/t0wcI2zVwHQ
EDIT: I thought there was something wrong with the length of the video, but no, I did play this stage for over an hour until I finished it, that's what I call sparring