OK, here's a long, long overdue megapost. First up is my latest release,
Bridge Over Fishy Waters.
This one was a work in progress for some time. I had a couple loose ideas rolling around in my head, but I got inspired by a visual element used briefly in a very good stage called
Buzzsaw Boroughs. Then I started playing through the GBA port of SMB3 last week, which informed a couple of other design decisions. Eventually everything came together -- just a few hours before the game was taken offline. However, it's back now, and I'd be honoured if you guys checked it out.
After I finished that stage, it was about 2 a.m. and I felt like I still had something left in the tank, so I retooled my first-ever stage, The Spring's the Thing. No one ever seemed to like it much, including me: it was full of rookie mistakes and design decisions I would never make today. I'm older and wiser, and I knew the level was unpopular anyway, so I retooled it a fair bit, made use of a couple of things that weren't available to me at the time like sub-areas and checkpoints, and re-released it. I tried to leave the heart of the stage intact, so the rare person who did play it back then will find it familiar. However, there's some real thought behind the design now, instead of just putting things wherever to see how they tick. I tried to also leave on some of the rough edges -- this isn't supposed to be my magnum opus, I just wanted to leave the base idea of the stage online without wasting anyone's time.
Anyway, the 2.0 version is called
In the Spring of Things and if my other stage isn't enough, please give it a shot.
OK! Before I get to level feedback, I wanted to share a really great level I saw on
NintendoLife.
Bullet Time by Conchita uses the game's own slowdown as an asset. The stage isn't easy but I cleared it in the first attempt, so old Mario diehards shouldn't worry too much. I really recommend this, it's a lot of fun!
Now, for the feedback:
Koopas Treetop Kingdom
Tag: Traditional
Aiming for a traditional fun and scenic level with this one. Enjoy!
https://supermariomakerbookmark.nintendo.net/courses/85C0-0000-019F-D79D
I liked this level a lot when you actually get to the koopa treetop village. Unfortunately I feel like the level spins its wheels a bit before you get there. I also didn't like that the power-ups weren't context-sensitive. There's so many power-ups handed out in this level, but a lot of them were mushrooms even though I was already big. All in all I do recommend this, what it does right it does quite well.
Finished my SMB3 Castle course just now:
Super Pesca Bros. 3: Castle
I think it's pretty good, but I also thought my Airship course was pretty good and it was critically panned so... :/
I'm not sure if I'm gonna make any Super Mario World or New Super Mario Bros. courses just yet. My SMB3 stages got significantly less love than my SMB1 courses did and it kinda crushed my spirit. We'll see how I feel in a few days though.
My one real criticism is that the area with the hammer bros needed something in the breakable blocks -- at least a coin block or something. I broke them all for no reason, and there was a ton! That's a staple of the series right there. Other than that, real solid castle stage. I hate, hate, hate SMB3 Bowser (not your fault, you didn't design him like that!), but I like that you doubled up on him all the same. Both the boss fights are fair and fun.
I also made a
Super Mario Bros. 3 Underwater Course if anyone wants to check it out.
This level looks very nice and has some neat ideas, but without any chokepoints there's nothing to challenge Mario -- you just swim away from everything and eventually you're at the goal. I'm not saying you need to make something very tight like
Anteo's Underwater Fortress (which rules) but you do have to have some obstacles that impede Mario in some way, or funnel him toward something.
A while ago I made a couple of levels but forgot to post them so here they are:
The Underwater Fortress
This is my serious attempt at a water level. I really dont like water levels that much so I tried to do something I would enjoy.
I really like this! It'd be easy to say it's only half of a water level and leans on the castle part, but the water part is fun on its own terms. Tremendous stage, very highly recommended, especially to all those people who say they don't like water and scrolling levels.
I liked the main stage quite a bit. Fun platforming, carefully doling out the challenge. It's good stuff. What I didn't like was the sub-area, which didn't offer much by way of rewards and always just seemed to lead me in the wrong direction in the main stage. But I like your use of platforming-design fundamentals and should try more of your stuff in the future.
Even after the SMB3 e-Reader levels taught me to loathe note blocks all over again, I really liked this stage. It has one good, core concept and commits to it, and after some trial and error the player can knock through it with some clever play. One thing I didn't like, though, was the ending. Asking for that big ol' jump after all that work comes across as mean-spirited, especially with that middle-placed note block. Good stuff all the same, though.
3rd -
Ok Sporkcuter [ID: EFD0-0000-018B-B167]
I don't get this level. Like, at all. Given that literally no one else online has beaten it, I see I'm not the only one. I'd delete this, figure out some way to give the player more of a hint as to just what you want him or her to do, and then re-upload. Clearly you've got some idea here, I just don't know what the hell it is.
New courses:
The Great Riders of Chomponia
This is a very simple level. I feel like it's a very classic style level with a slight twist.
I
love this level. I love it so much I added it to my
community spotlight list. Sort of like with
Chwomps, how every time I thought of the word chwomps, it made me laugh, every time I saw a koopa or some other mouth-agape enemy riding a wild chomp, I got a legit laugh. Highly recommended.
My new shmup level is up. I took a cue from ChrisKre's amazing art banners and made one of my own for fun since the bookmark isn't up yet. I don't have access to a good graphics program and was short on time, but I've always been decent at doodling my own hand drawn cartoons, so here ya go:
Course ID: 6850-0000-0188-9B5C
Edit: Here's the bookmark link:
https://supermariomakerbookmark.nintendo.net/courses/6850-0000-0188-9B5C
This is indeed the monster you made it out to be! I love, love,
love the finale. I think it could stand as its own stage, just phenomenal. As always you have a great grasp of the shooter fundamentals. It's very long too, but I get the sense that a lot of people out there like that.
One big issue though is how you used cloud blocks as a veritcal barrier after the first checkpoint. It's a one-way barrier, so it's very easy to nudge your way up just a bit high while dodging enemies or enemy fire and toss yourself well back earlier in the stage. I'd also say some of the manoeuvering around the puzzle elements early in the stage can be a little tight, and I don't really like the look of the stubby, bottomless pipes during the end stretch (although I take it that was necessary to fit everything onto the screen). All in all, this is a must-play for shooter fans.