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[balladofwindfishes]

The sheer obnoxious amounts of awful NSMBU stages in Expert have soured me on the style.

I feel like I shouldn't make stages in that style because everyone does and usually they're awful. It must be about 75% of expert stages are NSMBU style.

 

[KittenMaster]

The sheer obnoxious amounts of awful NSMBU stages in Expert have soured me on the style.

I feel like I shouldn't make stages in that style because everyone does and usually they're awful. It must be about 75% of expert stages are NSMBU style.

the only real things NSMBU style has over SMW are wall jumping and certain graphics (like the colored crystal tiles in the underground theme) anyway, so if you want to avoid making NSMBU levels you really aren't missing out on much.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

the only real things NSMBU style has over SMW are wall jumping and certain graphics (like the colored crystal tiles in the underground theme) anyway, so if you want to avoid making NSMBU levels you really aren't missing out on much.

I think giant enemies look best in NSMBU style. Not a fan of big blocky pixels, especially when I try to generally stick within the confines of what a style was originally able to do.

 

[Mael]

Don´t be too hard on yourself, it´s not as bad as you´re making it out to be! There were some interesting ideas! I think the major flaws are the layout being confusing and the lack of a central mechanic, but having 2 different paths was a great idea and the ice blocks on looping tracks was fun too. Just rework the level around those things and I´m sure it´ll end up being something cool.

The problem I had was making the moving ice blocks manageable without it being braindead or too frustrating.
If you look at all my levels, usually there's 2 paths : 1 where the meat of the idea is and another easier in case you fail where you can fall back to.
It's even more clear in the last level I posted
(shameless plug Forest Canyon : 33EB-0000-00F0-9216, already more played and liked than the ice mountain)
And of course my wife only wants to play the hard part of the course so I think I'll just try to streamline and just cut the easy part from now on :/

To make 2 paths and avoid the problems of the player "breaking" the level and going where he´s not supposed to you can start by making the paths really linear and enclosed by solid blocks so there´s no way out. Then start adding openings to the secondary path just where you want them to be and removing the corresponding solid blocks. If you want a more "open" design, you can then remove the remaining solid blocks gradually and alter the layout accordingly to block access to the secondary path in any undesired place. I think this approach helps a lot when making levels with multiple paths.

That's actually not a bad idea,
I tend to make the hard path 1rst,
add the easy path and see how they interact with each other
and block unintended paths with spikes to make it clear to the player he's no supposed to go there.
It didn't turn out like I wanted, I posted it because J-Fr had cool a theme I wanted to use,
You win some you lose some, I'll rework it and try to make it work.

the only real things NSMBU style has over SMW are wall jumping and certain graphics (like the colored crystal tiles in the underground theme) anyway, so if you want to avoid making NSMBU levels you really aren't missing out on much.

You can require more advanced technique with nsmb style so it's easy to just throw everything together and require some badly placed wall jumps and you're done designing your level .
I tend to prefer smw style after all because you can throw stuffs upward and that can make for some cool challenges.
Heck it's easier to design boss fight with that!

 

[KittenMaster]

Wow. This newest level mitchflowerpower on Twitch is trying to upload looks incredibly annoying.

 

[vikki]

Updated version to this level I posted last week. Hopefully it's not as confusing as it was before.

Junior's Coup D'etat
B8F4-0000-00F6-E173

I'd still like to know what you guys think.

 

[CrisKre]

4:12 Shiveringly Frozen Cold Manor! ( 6A1C-0000-00EF-2E97) by CrisKre: This level has the "CrisKre seal": high quality, lots of secrets, twisted layout, good theming and clever challenges. I think you were going for a Metroidvania feel in this one, but I really didn´t see it when compared to your other levels. Maybe it´s because I took the alternate route right from the start (awesome way to put to use a star right from the very beginning of the level), or because I usually play your levels following the "secret" route, which are always small Metroidvanias on their own in that each new powerUp provides access to the next one.

Thanks Correjon! Whatching you play is always awesome and enlightening.

 

[Jocchan]

Just finished a new level guys!!!

I even made a little poster for this one:

Shiveringly Frozen Cold Manor!

6A1C-0000-00EF-2E97

This is probably the level I spent the most time on. It´s a themed Mario-metroid-castlevania inspired level with lots of platform sections and easy power-up progression, and of course a lot of secrets and alt. paths.

here is a video of the first couple sections of the level:

https://youtu.be/_KF7QnzvgQc

Would hold eternal gratitude to any kind soul that wants to give feedback!!! (and check would your levels in return, of course)
Thank you kind guys and gals!!

Beautiful level, with lots of secrets/alternate paths (found one that led me to the first checkpoint on the get go, and then replayed the level to see what the main path was like).

My first time in this thread (looking for more curated levels from knowledgeable people and not the playerbase at large), and I see a professionally made, custom poster to advertise a user's specific level?

Clearly, this thread is the right place to be.

It really is, my friend.

Super Mario Maker GAF levels 5-4 Deluxe Jocchan Edition
Featuring:

• Super Mario Open World v0.1b (FE8B-0000-0087-0E40) by Jocchan: Very cool level, I was intrigued by the "Open World" concept in SMM and how would you make it work: the result was great. So many things to do, secrets and minipuzzles hiding at every step...I almost run out of time exploring everything, I just didn´t want it to end.
  Good work!
• 9:50 Before & After The Apocalypse v2 (A610-0000-00E6-314B) by Jocchan: Another awesome level, I see why this has been getting so much praise. Dual World level with simple puzzles and great theming, nice challenges, secrets here and there...the Apocalypse world felt really menacing and I loved seeing what everything was like before. The final boss was very original, great use of simple elements to create an engaging and frantic challenge.
• 18:00 Groundhog Day: The Final Day (F8A6-0000-00E7-5580) by Jocchan: Very cool puzzle, an example of what can be achieved with simple elements and a creative mind. The "main" part of the level felt a bit simple, though it´s understandable as the idea is to make the player repeat it several times, so making it more complex would make it tedious. I was fortunate to understand the puzzle immediately, mostly thanks to the title, but I can imagine how awesome it should be to come in clean and figure it out while playing.
  Cool level with a very original idea.

Oh wow, a deluxe edition even! Thanks, man!

Glad you enjoyed your time, especially with Groundhog Day and Super Mario Open World as they are two of the more "experimental" levels of mine. Speaking of the latter, from the video I can guarantee that you only got to scratch its surface, but thankfully that was still enough to unlock the exit. There's plenty more things to do, and to toy with, while you parkour around. Most of these are actually hinted by NPCs (the trapped Goombas spread around the level) who all have dialogue implemented through Miiverse comments. Too bad the timer cannot be disabled entirely, it really constrains how much the player can do in a single run. But hey, I guess that counts as replayability

 

[RagnarokX]

the only real things NSMBU style has over SMW are wall jumping and certain graphics (like the colored crystal tiles in the underground theme) anyway, so if you want to avoid making NSMBU levels you really aren't missing out on much.

As other people have said, the giant enemies look way better than the blown up pixels in the other themes (SMW giant enemies are especially ugly).

The ground pound is a very different technique from SMW's spin jump. It can be used to activate blocks with items inside from above (even as small mario). You can blow through columns of bricks and enemies much faster with it. You can cancel a ground pound, so if you decide you want to stop before you kill or trap yourself you can. You cannot stop a SMW spin jump from breaking blocks once you get going unless you land on a non-breakable platform. Also NSMBU's spin jump doesn't break blocks, and that can be a feature that's important.

SMW and NSMBU have different versions of certain enemies. Goombas and piranha plants are especially something to consider as they are waaay different in SMW. Dry bones throw projectiles. You also might or might not want koopas to eject from their shells.

You might not want to have players able to throw objects up.

As you already mentioned, wall jumps can be a big game changer.

As can the air stall.

And the triple jump.

Yoshi flutter jumps in NSMBU style, gaining a huge boost to horizontal and vertical distance. His tongue cannot go through solid walls, but is much longer. Yoshi can also ground pound in NSMBU.

SMW has rotating blocks instead of brick blocks. Personally I really really really don't like this difference.

 

[KittenMaster]

Again, despite many small differences, I feel that Wall Jumps are the only massive significant difference in terms of actually designing a level (why would you even have jumps that force you to use the mid-air spin/flutter jump or something that punishes you for not stopping your ground pound?). I'm trying to say that SMW will get a lot of what you will want out of designing a level, if not more if you don't want to use the NSMBU style.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

SMW has rotating blocks instead of brick blocks. Personally I really really really don't like this difference.

Spinning blocks are basically required for the SMW style. It would have been weird if they didn't spin.

 

[CrisKre]

Beautiful level, with lots of secrets/alternate paths (found one that led me to the first checkpoint on the get go, and then replayed the level to see what the main path was like)

Thanks Jocchan! Appreciate you giving it a go man.

About the NSMBU style discussion, im making a level on it as we speak. My problem is that because the graphics are less abstract, its harder to have something look unique. Im trying though! Gameplay wise it brings is own sets of mechanics. I for one really enjoy them. Ill share with you guys once its done.

 

[Dimentios]

[...]

Again, thank you very much, correojon. And yes, I admit, Mining Melancholy has two or three very difficult, almost unfair jumps.It's an older level of mine, where checkpoints didn't exist back then. I don't know why, but I am still refusing to re-upload my levels as a 2.0-Version. Don't like the idea of missing the stats and comments (and yes I know, I'll keep the stars). I'm still hoping Nintendo will add some kind of level-patch system in the future.

Anyway, thank you very much. You're so kind. Nice too see, I have a little fanbase here on GAF. :,)

After this weekend I will have more time for Super Mario Maker again. I need to play all those beautiful levels you guys posted the last two weeks. Real live is kinda real right now. D:

 

[InaSnowBoundLand]

Cool at first, then it got a bit complicated with the super fast scrolling section, and then you arrive at the platform moving left and right with big bob-ombs spawning on it, I died countless times here, I managed to pass it once just to die in the next screen so I quit ^ ^



My latest level has a similar gimmick (Bouncing on cannonballs), give it a try.
I thought no checkpoint after that first section was unfair as the following part is unforgiving given the spike floor and the randomness of chain chomps.



Good puzzles but the bob-ombs with the big muncher to destroy the blocks is a pain here again

Reposting my latest 2 levels if you want to try them and give feedback:

Planet 2-1:
Code: 8C82-0000-00D8-5AD8

Planet 2-2:
Code: BF46-0000-00E6-1C99

Thanks for your comments! I'll take your suggestions into consideration as I'm revising my levels.

I went to your profile page and played a few levels and really liked the one with the fireballs on the paths. I liked jumping from one blue platform to another, especially. One section, however, had you avoid big fireballs on the same path as your blue platform (as your platform travelled horizontally to the right -- near the lava, I believe). This part felt like you had very little room for error. The fireballs are just so big and the platform really isn't. But nice level overall.

I think my favorite is Planet 2-2 that you have posted here. I've used the cloud cannon gimmick before, but for different purposes. Your use of it is really creative but intuitive. It would be perfect if they were just a little slower, but that's out of our control. Memorable level.

I will probably play more levels posted here in the coming days as I get access to my WIi U .

 

[vikki]

Reposting my latest 2 levels if you want to try them and give feedback:

Planet 2-1:
Code: 8C82-0000-00D8-5AD8

Fun level, I love the hop cannonball mechanic, I've used in a couple of my levels as a means to reach a secret area, but I do have a love/hate relationship with this level. I hate that it is so unforgiving at times and I just don't like having to bounce on the cannonballs while traveling under a platform, but over a pit. That's one of the most difficult parts of the level and it takes place early on. I do love the fact that as the player learns the level, they must plan and conserve their cannonballs to make it to the next area. The countdown was helpful.

Planet 2-2:
Code: BF46-0000-00E6-1C99

This level was a lot of fun. Very frustrating at times as the somewhat unpredictability of the clouds will cause the player to die a lot, but I think you used the clouds perfectly. I had a level that was fairly frustrating, the clouds had spike enemies in them, but it was necessary to spin jump the spiked clouds to cross a large pot, so I was familiar with the clouds movements. Even though this level is also very unforgiving and frustrating, it is a lot of fun. I like it more than 2-1.

The remaining videos are live!

If you decide to record more levels then add mine to the list.

Junior's Coup D'etat
20DD-0000-00F1-9048

 

[correojon]

Some feedback on BioMechanical Tower would be very appreciated, I´ve had all kinds of feedback ranging from fantastic to not good at all and I´m a bit loss on where it really stands:

If you decide to record more levels then add mine to the list.
Junior's Coup D'etat
20DD-0000-00F1-9048

Sure, but please play and give some feedback on my level first

 

[vikki]

Some feedback on BioMechanical Tower would be very appreciated, I´ve had all kinds of feedback ranging from fantastic to not good at all and I´m a bit loss on where it really stands:



Sure, but please play and give some feedback on my level first

I actually just played it. It was a good stage, must've been tough making it so the player can backtrack through each part of the level, but it was cool. Funny that I spent some time trying to figure out how to get to the backtrack areas before I knew that's what the player has to do. That final boss though, ugh. It's tough. I figured out how to get through it. I did have fun with it, I enjoy a challenge.

 

[correojon]

Again, thank you very much, correojon. And yes, I admit, Mining Melancholy has two or three very difficult, almost unfair jumps.It's an older level of mine, where checkpoints didn't exist back then. I don't know why, but I am still refusing to re-upload my levels as a 2.0-Version. Don't like the idea of missing the stats and comments (and yes I know, I'll keep the stars). I'm still hoping Nintendo will add some kind of level-patch system in the future.

Anyway, thank you very much. You're so kind. Nice too see, I have a little fanbase here on GAF. :,)

Thanks for the kind words!
I really don´t think it was that hard, I was just playing horribly and making many stupid mistakes. When I originally beat Sawblade Walker I did it on my first or second try, however when I recorded the video you can see whow many tries it took...and I even recorded another video right before of 8+ minutes of me failing at that level, I just cut because I was afraid the resulting video was going to be too big and didn´t show anything worth. Just so you see the extremes of the brainfart that affected me during my playhroughs of Sawblade Wlaker and Mining Melancholy :S
But I do think that Mining Melancholy will benefit from checkpoints, it´s a fairly long level and there are instant death challenges all along, so it can end up being frustrating. It sucks we don´t have a way to patch levels

Oh wow, a deluxe edition even! Thanks, man!

Glad you enjoyed your time, especially with Groundhog Day and Super Mario Open World as they are two of the more "experimental" levels of mine. Speaking of the latter, from the video I can guarantee that you only got to scratch its surface, but thankfully that was still enough to unlock the exit. There's plenty more things to do, and to toy with, while you parkour around. Most of these are actually hinted by NPCs (the trapped Goombas spread around the level) who all have dialogue implemented through Miiverse comments. Too bad the timer cannot be disabled entirely, it really constrains how much the player can do in a single run. But hey, I guess that counts as replayability

I always forget to turn on comments...I make sure to replay it with comments on, as well as Super Dude Bros II

I actually just played it. It was a good stage, must've been tough making it so the player can backtrack through each part of the level, but it was cool. Funny that I spent some time trying to figure out how to get to the backtrack areas before I knew that's what the player has to do. That final boss though, ugh. It's tough. I figured out how to get through it. I did have fun with it, I enjoy a challenge.

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, the layout can be a bit confusing before you get to the top and the whole idea is revealed to the player, that´s why I had to "lock" the player in every room and force him to advance. Glad you enjoyed it

OK, new list, if someone wants in copy the list add your level at the end:

• Junior's Coup D'etat (20DD-0000-00F1-9048) by vikki

 

[KooopaKid]

Thanks for your comments! I'll take your suggestions into consideration as I'm revising my levels.

I went to your profile page and played a few levels and really liked the one with the fireballs on the paths. I liked jumping from one blue platform to another, especially. One section, however, had you avoid big fireballs on the same path as your blue platform (as your platform travelled horizontally to the right -- near the lava, I believe). This part felt like you had very little room for error. The fireballs are just so big and the platform really isn't. But nice level overall.

Thanks for playing. You mean the 2 big fireballs following you? You just have to make a small backward jump on the platform you're standing to avoid it. You have to be relatively precise though. Usually, you can afford to get it as you should be big Mario at that point and a checkpoint is just before.

I think my favorite is Planet 2-2 that you have posted here. I've used the cloud cannon gimmick before, but for different purposes. Your use of it is really creative but intuitive. It would be perfect if they were just a little slower, but that's out of our control. Memorable level.

Thanks, yeah the cannons are a bit unpredictable, I myself still die quite a lot in the second section of the level, but I always feel it's my fault for rushing.

Fun level, I love the hop cannonball mechanic, I've used in a couple of my levels as a means to reach a secret area, but I do have a love/hate relationship with this level. I hate that it is so unforgiving at times and I just don't like having to bounce on the cannonballs while traveling under a platform, but over a pit. That's one of the most difficult parts of the level and it takes place early on. I do love the fact that as the player learns the level, they must plan and conserve their cannonballs to make it to the next area. The countdown was helpful.

Thanks for playing too. I thought the bouncing under a platform wasn't that hard, since you basically just have to let Mario hop automatically to kill lots of bullets and lower yourself.

This level was a lot of fun. Very frustrating at times as the somewhat unpredictability of the clouds will cause the player to die a lot, but I think you used the clouds perfectly. I had a level that was fairly frustrating, the clouds had spike enemies in them, but it was necessary to spin jump the spiked clouds to cross a large pot, so I was familiar with the clouds movements. Even though this level is also very unforgiving and frustrating, it is a lot of fun. I like it more than 2-1.

Thanks! I agree it's quite unforgiving but if you take your time it's actually not that bad. The more you rush the more difficult it becomes I feel. But I think it adds to the "One more go" feeling that works quite well. You just know it's possible to complete and beat those clouds!

 

[Simbabbad]

Catching up, feedback on levels from page 334 and 335:

Zero Escape: Yoshi's Last Reward
BF58-0000-00E2-1CF4

Nice level. The vertical part with the giant Munchers on blue platforms is annoying, though (but it's just after a checkpoint so it's not too bad).

I just uploaded the updated version of my last level:
Fiery Spikes in Reversible Cave
5750-0000-00E4-AEBC

The level flowed better than last time I played it, it felt much less cramped, but I was even more confused. Arrows and paths everywhere. There is also a place I got stuck in (I left a comment), I lost my Spiky Hat to a Spike Top that came from off-screen when I jumped, and there was no way out. There are way too many Spike Tops IMO, four or more crawling on the same wall or two on little platforms is way too much, especially since you can get stuck or have to loop when you lose your powerup. I also decided to just take a hit on the Fire Bar platforms looping, I waited for the right moment to jump, but it was way too spaced out. I did finish the level, though, I didn't die much.

You should really fill the empty areas with ground blocks (or semi-solid platform background if you got out of blocks) and not leave them empty and black, it'd really help readability. The enemies or items blocked into walls also aren't helping, they're too numerous and confuse things IMO.

Holy Mole-y grotto trails redux! (4EFC-0000-00E4-A4BB)

Great ideas, visuals and pacing! Entertaining from beginning to end! I loved the underground chase just before the end. The only issue I met was with a giant Wiggler that hit me from off-screen after a high jump.

Sweltering Stalkers
(EB27-0000-00E5-F015)

As said on Miiverse: great concept, perfect execution!

Sawblade Walker (C7F1-0000-00E6-01C6)

It's your usual level of quality, that is, ridiculously high (without the flaws of say, Mining Melancholy). I didn't meet any sort of issue, it was perfect from beginning to end, and the ending sequence is of course very clever and flows well.

Shelmet Temple & the Long Bridge (6DFA-0000-00D8-F21F)

Alien Home World (7993-0000-00E0-B769)

Invalid codes, didn't try the rest.

 

[Bydobob]

So I made quite a few changes to my most recent level after trying to fix the spawning issues in the cannon section.

- Placed a door before cannonball section, so now the first 3 rows of cannons fire in straight lines.

- Placement of door meant the cloud secret has had to be removed since you can't take them through doors.

- As a result of above, spring is irrelevant, and POW block mostly irrelevant, so both of these have gone.

- Breakable blocks before now single with helmet only. It no longer released in a catchable position though so placed a horizontal spring in wall to bring it back into play as it falls.

- Addition of door to cannons meant removal of previous door to hidden block part, Players now fall into this area after the Goomba section, using vines at the bottom to cling onto. These have been extended so players have time to react.

Amazing how one small change can have such a chain reaction on the rest of the level! Made one other unrelated change:

- Lowered question block in Lukatu section so Super and Racoon Mario have to crouch slide to get their star, while little Mario is unaffected. Doing this has also removed a cheese path where players would just jump on the question block.

Give it a go guys, the level seems to polarise players.

Rise after Fall
8689-0000-00F2-7C48

 

[El Daniel]

So does anyone got some hard kaizo like smw levels for me? The difficulty has to lie in platforming not enemies.

 

[Mael]

I just uploaded a new level:
Biomechanical Tower
E302-0000-00EF-4CDB

This is a vertical level where you can choose between 2 paths: the left path will take you through some challenges against wild vegetation and the right path will force you to be precise as a machine as you face mechanical menaces. Once you reach the top of the tower another choice will be presented to you: will you take the Kuribo Shoe and stomp on the sharp mechanical blades on your way down? Or will you choose the Fire Flower and descend while setting all the aggressive flora ablaze? Will you go for the powerup and forfeit the checkpoint or try your luck by going through the door to see what surprise it hides?
Pursue the Mega Koopa to the top of the of the tower to get rid of him once and for all! But be careful, as flora and machina may join forces against you...

There are 4 possible ways to beat the stage:

• Rise through the left, descend through the right with the Shoe.
• Rise through the left, descend through the left with the Flower. Risky: no checkpoint!
• Rise through the right, descend through the left with the Flower.
• Rise through the right, descend through the right with the Shoe. Risky: no checkpoint!

Each path has it´s own set of mechanics, (vines and Piranha Plants on the vegetal path, Grinders and Canons on the mechanical path) and have been cerafully balanced to provide a fair challenge in both directions and with or without the corresponding powerup.

I recommend that you take the door at the top, so you can rise through one path and descend through the other, so you can experience the most of the level and use the mid level checkpoint..

Hope you enjoy it and please give feedback!

I was able to find your post (because really I prefer to do it that way).
I follow you on SMM so I usually know when you post new stuffs
There's some kinks to iron here and there (I posted a screnshot of the place I had to die because I was stuck).
Otherwise I like it a lot, it's like an hardcore version of the 2 paths tree level you did.
The boss was carefully crafted that I can tell!
But only 2 or 3 tries and then you can't succeed is a bit harsh I feel >.<
I rise throught the forest and descended with the Kuribo shoe, I'll have to try the level again....
It will wash the horrible taste of the crappy level I ended up playing in 100Marios.

It even managed to sour me on SMM for now!

Anyone up for some feedback on this one ?

Forest Canyon : 33EB-0000-00F0-9216

 

[Thud]

Nice level. The vertical part with the giant Munchers on blue platforms is annoying, though (but it's just after a checkpoint so it's not too bad).

It's a bit filler material, but I used coins to guide people on munchers instead of just blue platforms. A small test of previous elements mixed with new ones. There is also an alternative route that skips it a bit, in the event you die after a some muncher platforming.

Not the best part of the level, but it's the best I could do to fit the theme while I ran into several limits. Thanks for the feedback btw .

 

[vikki]

Rise after Fall
8689-0000-00F2-7C48

Really cool that you use different mechanics to climb(rise) and fall(fall). I died a bunch of times because I'm reckless, but as long as people play this level carefully, they should be fine. All in all, a fun stage.

 

[vikki]

Anyone up for some feedback on this one ?

Very fun level with a lot of secrets to find. There is no shortage of power-ups, which I think works well with this level because there is a lot to explore. I ended up going through the level twice just to see what I could find. I haven't found everything yet, I did find that giant ghost near the goal, but I don't know where to find the pipe above the goal.

Edit: whoops, double post. I meant to add this to my post just above this one.

 

[KittenMaster]

So the holidays are coming up, I felt like making a level to demonstrate how it is possible to make a very snowy, wintery level, or just a very heavy snow themed level if you plan on making a level that utilizes ice blocks as a main part of game play.

Winter Breeze - (DF5F-0000-00F2-C68F)

This level is very easy, so less experienced players might enjoy it more than a lot of my other levels.

 

[ScOULaris]

So does anyone got some hard kaizo like smw levels for me? The difficulty has to lie in platforming not enemies.

Maybe you can be the one to finally complete one of my levels. All of them have zero percent completion rates, but I don't find them to be that hard. They are definitely all designed to purely test platforming/speedrunning skills, however. Especially Don't Stop, Get It Get It and Subterranean Sprint. The high road path of High Road/Low Road is the one to choose if you want a platforming challenge.

Just uploaded my latest level. It's a very quick, slightly challenging speedrun level. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Level: Subterranean Sprint
Code: 5663-0000-00EE-4931
Difficulty: 3/5

Oh, and here's one that I made the other day but forgot to post about it in here. There are two paths through the level. The higher one is more focused on tricky jumps and environmental hazards, and the lower is all about dealing with swarms of enemies.

Level: High Road/Low Road
Code: 600E-0000-00E9-F965
Difficulty: 4.5/5

Edit: Re-uploaded with a new code after changing a few small things.

Just finished up my third level, and I think it's definitely my best work thus far.

Level: Don't Stop, Get It Get It
Code: 0BCA-0000-00EC-567F
Difficulty: 3.5/5

• Gotta go fast! Stopping even for a second means failure to finish the stage.
• Catch up with the beetle shell racing on the platform above you while dodging obstacles below.
• Short, but sweet. The level is as long as the editor allows for, but the fact that you are constantly running with no stopping makes it breeze by. No checkpoint needed.
• Clean design with no annoying, unfair quirks. Enemies are kept to a minimum in favor of forcing you to find the optimal path through carefully placed hazards.

 

[CrisKre]

Great ideas, visuals and pacing! Entertaining from beginning to end! I loved the underground chase just before the end. The only issue I met was with a giant Wiggler that hit me from off-screen after a high jump.

Thank you!

 

[RagnarokX]

Again, despite many small differences, I feel that Wall Jumps are the only massive significant difference in terms of actually designing a level (why would you even have jumps that force you to use the mid-air spin/flutter jump or something that punishes you for not stopping your ground pound?). I'm trying to say that SMW will get a lot of what you will want out of designing a level, if not more if you don't want to use the NSMBU style.

Those aren't small differences.

Asking why you would require the use of the air stall or flutter jump is like asking why you would require using the cape or yoshi's tongue or any other ability. The air stall allows you to make longer jumps or change your trajectory. For example, while the vine section in the original version of my Boo's Plumbing Nightmare course was perfectly doable without using it, the air stall made it less difficult.

There have been levels designed where your skill at timing the ground pound to advance without killing yourself is a feature. It can be a nice challenge. It's something Nintendo has even done in official courses: https://youtu.be/lq7lmwqPf-o?t=27s.

The ability to cancel the ground pound allows you to stop from killing yourself. In SMW levels if you start spin jumping on rotating blocks over a pit you will keep going until you die. If you ground pound over brick blocks over a pit you can stop before you reach the pit. The wall jump also makes ground pounding safer than the spin jump, because if you get caught on a block while trying to destroy them in SMW you can get stuck in a straight vertical breaking pattern and if the bricks are deep enough you'll have no way to get back out. This most recently happened to me playing one of koopakid's levels.

The tool differences are pretty big differences, as well. In SMW you are stuck with jumping piranha pants and galoombas and brick blocks become rotating blocks. Those things alone are a big enough reason to impact your choice.

Spinning blocks are basically required for the SMW style. It would have been weird if they didn't spin.

Yes, I know, but that doesn't mean they aren't a reason why I prefer other themes.

 

[KittenMaster]

I disagree: They are small difference. They are things that if absent I would just adjust a part of a level to accommodate for the inability to perform, but also aren't things I would think "I can design an entire level around this mechanic."

I'm not trying to hate on NSMBU, I am only trying to say to the poster that doesn't want to use the style that he'll still be able to do almost as much with the SMW style and he'll be perfectly fine. This is not the same as saying others that don't share his opinion shouldn't use the NSMBU style or take advantage of its benefits.

 

[Ranger X]

SMW has rotating blocks instead of brick blocks. Personally I really really really don't like this difference.

This alone makes Super Mario World sets my "less favorite". (because its anywhere near bad but, you know)

 

[Jocchan]

Thanks Jocchan! Appreciate you giving it a go man.

My pleasure, I enjoy your levels a lot

Again, thank you very much, correojon. And yes, I admit, Mining Melancholy has two or three very difficult, almost unfair jumps.It's an older level of mine, where checkpoints didn't exist back then. I don't know why, but I am still refusing to re-upload my levels as a 2.0-Version. Don't like the idea of missing the stats and comments (and yes I know, I'll keep the stars). I'm still hoping Nintendo will add some kind of level-patch system in the future.

I didn't want to lose the beautiful comments left for Before And After The Apocalypse, so I didn't erase the level after uploading v2, and added a comment to notify players about a newer version being available.

I always forget to turn on comments...I make sure to replay it with comments on, as well as Super Dude Bros II

EDIT: in Before & After the Apocalypse, for instance, I used comments to provide more environmental context about what caused the outbreak (TV broadcasts, billboards, etc.). Sometimes I kinda wish there was a better way to do this, like the speaker blocks from SMW, but then I get terrified about what level creators would do with those, and I'm almost glad there's just comments.



About NSMBU style, I believe the extended ability set allows for the most dynamic and acrobatic gameplay. That's why I used it for my levels where I wanted to emphasize flow and parkouring (both Groundhog Day and Super Mario Open World). You may find a lot of crap around, but there's plenty of nice gems as well (see Ragnarok's output).

 

[jotun?]

Just got the game last night. Made a level based mostly around walljumping, since I don't have any neat toys to play with yet:
B2FB-0000-00F2-BB5E

It's really hard to gauge difficulty when making your own levels. I can clear it every time, but I still get the feeling that it might be too hard

 

[Gotdatmoney]

That feeling when you have 2 levels already started but you just wanna make another ice level >_<

Its my fav theme by far.

 

[vikki]

Just got the game last night. Made a level based mostly around walljumping, since I don't have any neat toys to play with yet:

I'm not sure how quickly you can unlock on the pieces, but you can unlock everything by spamming the level maker with blocks. Best to just YouTube how to do it.

And I will play your level later. And as long as you don't make the level filled with doortraps, pipe traps, and hidden blocks, you should be fine. There are always large numbers of people that don't complete even the easiest of levels. For instance, someone died on a stage I designed for my 3 year old daughter. There were no pitfalls, enemies, there was maximum time, and no tricks to get to the end.

So the holidays are coming up, I felt like making a level to demonstrate how it is possible to make a very snowy, wintery level, or just a very heavy snow themed level if you plan on making a level that utilizes ice blocks as a main part of game play.

Winter Breeze - (DF5F-0000-00F2-C68F)



This level is very easy, so less experienced players might enjoy it more than a lot of my other levels.

Played your 'winter breeze'. It was a nice change of pace and I liked the design. It got me thinking, it'd be nice to do a friendly holiday themed Mario Maker contest. Although, idk if any design besides Mario 3 can pull off that winter feel.

 

[J-Fr]

Maybe you can be the one to finally complete one of my levels. All of them have zero percent completion rates, but I don't find them to be that hard. They are definitely all designed to purely test platforming/speedrunning skills, however. Especially Don't Stop, Get It Get It and Subterranean Sprint. The high road path of High Road/Low Road is the one to choose if you want a platforming challenge.

I finished Subterranean Sprint by spinning over the Thwomps, it was quite fun!
You have to time your spins very well to avoid the sawblades and the Bullet Bills.
The over-world part was a bit too long between every try (it's especially annoying with sound effects).

High Road/Low Road, I took the high road as it looked less cluttered!

Don't Stop, Get It Get It, I can't get past the Munchers.


In term of difficulty: Don't Stop, Get It Get It > Subterranean Sprint > High Road/Low Road.

So does anyone got some hard kaizo like smw levels for me? The difficulty has to lie in platforming not enemies.

I posted two levels with 0% clear rate last week: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=185682854&postcount=16853
P Difficult - DF91-0000-00ED-C792, has a checkpoint and is not too hard.
Naufrage Extrème - F42B-0000-00BF-64EC, took me two hours to upload..

 

[vikki]

Maybe you can be the one to finally complete one of my levels. All of them have zero percent completion rates, but I don't find them to be that hard.

I made it the thwomps in Don't Stop, Get It Get It, but I just can't keep up with the shellmet. I'm literally running the entire time, but it just gets ahead. I tried waiting for the second she'll to fire, but that just screws up the timing on all the obstacles. I'm thinking, maybe if I wait for a third shell, the timing may be better.

I tried Subterranean Sprint 3 times, died 3 times. I may give it another go later.

I posted two levels with 0% clear rate last week: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=185682854&postcount=16853
P Difficult - DF91-0000-00ED-C792, has a checkpoint and is not too hard.
Naufrage Extrème - F42B-0000-00BF-64EC, took me two hours to upload..

I watched your videos last week. The P-switch stage looks fun. I could see myself getting really frustrated on Naufrage.

 

[KittenMaster]

Played your 'winter breeze'. It was a nice change of pace and I liked the design. It got me thinking, it'd be nice to do a friendly holiday themed Mario Maker contest. Although, idk if any design besides Mario 3 can pull off that winter feel.

The Mario 3 style has to be good for SOMETHING, right? (Mario 3 is my favorite game in the series but SMB. 1 has superior visual themes overall)

 

[Gotdatmoney]

As a throwback and since we were talking winter levels I would love to see what a lot of you guys think of my old ice level. Its actually my favourite level I created and I think it captures the ice look and feel well. Actually working on another similar ice level as a sort of sequel with new ideas.

Ice Bridge To Eternity
C01F-0000-0059-2F20

The Mario 3 style has to be good for SOMETHING, right? (Mario 3 is my favorite game in the series but SMB. 1 has superior visual themes overall)

Disagree. I love SMB3 visually. Also it has the best flight power up of the 3 types. Cape is broken and propeller is pure garbage. It also has my fav music out of all the other styles. Just needs athletic theme to bw complete.

 

[ScOULaris]

I made it the thwomps in Don't Stop, Get It Get It, but I just can't keep up with the shellmet. I'm literally running the entire time, but it just gets ahead. I tried waiting for the second she'll to fire, but that just screws up the timing on all the obstacles. I'm thinking, maybe if I wait for a third shell, the timing may be better.

I tried Subterranean Sprint 3 times, died 3 times. I may give it another go later.

Thanks for trying my levels! All of my friends find them to be too difficult, but none of them are particularly good at Mario.

As for catching up to the Shelmet, I'm always able to as long as I never stop even for a second. I'm also doing the little spin to extend the length of my jumps in certain areas which might speed me up a tiny bit.

I saw that someone beat it today, though, so I'm happy about that.

 

[Bydobob]

Really cool that you use different mechanics to climb(rise) and fall(fall). I died a bunch of times because I'm reckless, but as long as people play this level carefully, they should be fine. All in all, a fun stage.

Thanks for playing and glad you enjoyed. Just played your level and got stuck at the 4 door part. Could see you were trying to give me clues with the arrows, and knew I had to ignite the Bob-ombs somehow but just couldn't figure it out.

It was a good level otherwise, the flying lift part was a particular highlight, never seen them used this way.

I posted two levels with 0% clear rate last week:
Naufrage Extrème - F42B-0000-00BF-64EC, took me two hours to upload..

Haha yes, this one takes a lot of practice! Took me at least 80 lives to get to halfway, but if time wasn't against me could have happily lost double that to get the job done. Didn't see any X's after the first section though, are people really that impatient?

It's a very well designed level overall. Took a long time working out the momentum needed to clear each part consistently, but it was extremely rewarding once I got the hang of it. The Spiketops are surprisingly forgiving if you don't land perfectly, mitigating the sense of frustration somewhat. You also change up how they're used so the sections feel distinct from one another. I particularly liked how they swap rails and speed up on their descent, it's a neat trick I hadn't thought of using before. Pretty, uncluttered looking level too.

 

[Gotdatmoney]

Maybe you can be the one to finally complete one of my levels. All of them have zero percent completion rates, but I don't find them to be that hard. They are definitely all designed to purely test platforming/speedrunning skills, however. Especially Don't Stop, Get It Get It and Subterranean Sprint. The high road path of High Road/Low Road is the one to choose if you want a platforming challenge.

I beat Don't Stop, Get it Get it. In general I would avoid making levels like this. Its not that they are particularly difficilt if you keep at it. Its that among 3.3 million levels people will not want to keep at it. In 100 man Mario I would skip this. Too many potential lives lost. The way the game is structered if you want people to both try and beat your levels you will have to make compromises. I gave it a star because I see the effort.

 

[Core Zero]

Maybe you can be the one to finally complete one of my levels. All of them have zero percent completion rates, but I don't find them to be that hard. They are definitely all designed to purely test platforming/speedrunning skills, however. Especially Don't Stop, Get It Get It and Subterranean Sprint. The high road path of High Road/Low Road is the one to choose if you want a platforming challenge.

I saw this and I couldn't resist. I was able to beat Subterranean Sprint and both paths of High Road/Low Road within a few tries each. Subterranean Sprint I feel is the cleanest stage. I did try to cheese it a couple ways, but honestly found it easier to beat straightforwardly. I do wish the opening area outside was shortened though, it gets annoying on repeated attempts.

The High Road was good but I found the part with the lift on the rails to be a little wonky in terms of timing, getting caught between spikes with a fire bar swinging for me. I was able to complete it though. The Low Road was messy, and I basically just damage-boosted my way through the hardest parts, so to me it felt the weakest in terms of design.

I could not beat Don't Stop, though I got to the final chain of thwomps a couple times, I was never able to catch the helmet in order to get through. This stage is definitely harder than the other 2, and that one element I think is going to frustrate most people who try it. Keep in mind that you know how your stage is meant to be completed, and the timing window for catching that shell is very small. I think seeing a video of completion I could get it, but I wasn't going to keep going through the level until I found exactly the right sequence of actions to get through. Pretty good ideas for a stage like this though, was just disappointed I couldn't finish the last part.

 

[Deserted Maniac Island]

Hey

I have a level that I want to share. It's extremely hard, and it's good to die, and to learn the lay out of the level.

There are a lot secrets in it.

The first part I would say is the hardest part to figure out.

Spork - 1D0b-0000-00F3-9989

Have fun if you are willing to play it!

 

[Javier]

Here's a new level I made:

9C43-0000-00F3-A038

It's a moving platform level, with ParaKoopas, Piranhas, and three Bowsers blocking your way. It's moderately hard, but it can range from easy to super hard whether the Bowsers choose to troll you or not. There's plenty of Fire power to fight back, though.

 

[Jocchan]

My levels thankfully aren't popular enough to get cluttered by user Miiverse comments. But sometimes you do get stuff like this.

 

[Twinguistics]

Hey

I have a level that I want to share. It's extremely hard, and it's good to die, and to learn the lay out of the level.

There are a lot secrets in it.

The first part I would say is the hardest part to figure out.

Spork - 1D0b-0000-00F3-9989

Have fun if you are willing to play it!

I tried this one and, to be honest, I didn't like

Spoiler

having to get hit at the start.

. I also found it annoying that to get Yoshi you had to crouch jump as the ? block was too close to the top of the cave. Why? I guess maybe the level gets better after that but I gave up after a few goes. Sorry

Here's a new level I made:

9C43-0000-00F3-A038

It's a moving platform level, with ParaKoopas, Piranhas, and three Bowsers blocking your way. It's moderately hard, but it can range from easy to super hard whether the Bowsers choose to troll you or not. There's plenty of Fire power to fight back, though.
Today 03:24 AM

This was cool, I liked how it just sticks with the one theme and it's a test of your skill on the platform. I also liked how you kept giving us a potential flower, but only if we could grab it. It's also pretty tough.

Don't Stop, Get It Get It
Code: 0BCA-0000-00EC-567F
Difficulty: 3.5/5

Dude, difficulty 3.5? Really? I'd put it at a 5 out of 5 to be honest. I did really enjoy it though. I can make it up to the first musical blocks but that took a lot of practice. It's a level that I feel you really have to learn and it's hard enough to get far enough through to learn the later parts. I'm glad it exists though, I don't feel there enough speedrun type difficult levels out there - it's all metroidvanias and puzzles.

Here's my two best:

Trax Attacks! FFA1-0000-00EC-674A

and

Old School P'forming: 75C4-0000-00D9-5601 - This one is just a basic test of platforming skill, all set to a medium speed auto scroll. Lots of koopa hopping!

 

[vikki]

Thanks for playing and glad you enjoyed. Just played your level and got stuck at the 4 door part. Could see you were trying to give me clues with the arrows, and knew I had to ignite the Bob-ombs somehow but just couldn't figure it out.

It was a good level otherwise, the flying lift part was a particular highlight, never seen them used this way.

I'm actually a little disappointed that only a couple people have figured out what to do after the four doors. It's truly not difficult, maybe just one of those silly moments where you'd just say " I guess that wasn't that hard."

I'm a little reluctant in revealing the secrets of the level, but I don't think anyone has achieved unlocking the first secret in the level. It's close to the beginning and it requires an advanced maneuver to get to. If someone were to figure out the first secret then they'd unlock almost all of the other secrets of the level.

But even without the secrets, the stage is still easily beaten, maybe just a bit intentionally tricky.

I saw that someone beat it today, though, so I'm happy about that.

Just beat DS,GIGI.

 

[Deserted Maniac Island]

I tried this one and, to be honest, I didn't like

Spoiler

having to get hit at the start.

. I also found it annoying that to get Yoshi you had to crouch jump as the ? block was too close to the top of the cave. Why? I guess maybe the level gets better after that but I gave up after a few goes. Sorry



This was cool, I liked how it just sticks with the one theme and it's a test of your skill on the platform. I also liked how you kept giving us a potential flower, but only if we could grab it. It's also pretty tough.

Don't Stop, Get It Get It
Code: 0BCA-0000-00EC-567F
Difficulty: 3.5/5

Dude, difficulty 3.5? Really? I'd put it at a 5 out of 5 to be honest. I did really enjoy it though. I can make it up to the first musical blocks but that took a lot of practice. It's a level that I feel you really have to learn and it's hard enough to get far enough through to learn the later parts. I'm glad it exists though, I don't feel there enough speedrun type difficult levels out there - it's all metroidvanias and puzzles.

Here's my two best:

Trax Attacks! FFA1-0000-00EC-674A

and

Old School P'forming: 75C4-0000-00D9-5601 - This one is just a basic test of platforming skill, all set to a medium speed auto scroll. Lots of koopa hopping!

Thanks for the feedback! I was trying to be to be more experimental with the level, because I'm really enjoying hard games and hard levels (In Mario Maker) with an unconventional twist to it.

I'll try to make my next level more fair, in terms of challenge.

Spoiler

But good job figuring it out! Thank you playing!