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Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- Happy New Year!!

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Mandew
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by Mandew »

Oh man, I didn't notice we passed the 70 point mark now
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by FPzero »

31st, GRAND KOOPALOPOLIS, by SMWizard
71.25/100.00 points
Scores:
FPzero:
Design: 40/60
Creativity: 22/30
Aesthetics: 7/10

Total: 69/100

Comments:
This level is not reasonably beatable in 500 seconds without prior knowledge of the level's design. It took me 350 seconds, with rushing because I'd already died a lot in the first "half", to reach the midpoint, after which I timed out in the final Layer 2 section. There's simply too much ground to cover in the level to get to the end before a time up the first time you play. It doesn't help that the midpoint is lopsided and placed around the 2/3 point of the level. That's a lot of progress to re-do every time you die in the first half, and I died plenty from small mistakes or slip-ups.

I think you went pretty hard on the graphical replacements, and sometimes missed the mark. A few things were hard to tell as solid or passthrough at first glance due to tiles used or colors chosen. It looked okay overall though. As for design, I think the strongest parts were the Layer 2 ones, since you used a variety of smasher speeds and carefully placed coins and obstacles to signal safety and give the player something to avoid while they waited for the layers to shift around. The outdoor part was less memorable or focused, though I did appreciate the use of the conveyors to make the Bowser statues move around. All the net climbing in the second half kind of came out of nowhere, but was an okay mix-up using some things in the castle tileset you hadn't used previously. Thinking about it, the Ball n' Chain use was pretty good too, as they were almost always in a threatening position, but not so threatening you couldn't avoid hits from them with proper timing.

Really the biggest faults in this level are that it's too long and that the midpoint is lopsided. These are pretty big faults though. Don't let overambition get the best of you, and make sure you place your midpoints appropriately next time.
Ryaa:
Design: 36/60
Creativity: 22/30
Aesthetics: 6/10

Total: 64/100

Review:

There is absolutely way too much going on here in such a large space. The construction-themed graphics were a very cute touch, but I have a hard time focusing on these aesthetics when the areas are so large, so clutter and and very confusing in terms of what's solid and what isn't. The level design isn't really that clear either. At the beginning there is a cape that you can obtain by using a throwblock that doesn't look anything like a throwblock which makes it super easy to pass up.

When getting into the inside section, I was a bit thrown off by the layer 2 usage. It wasn't used in a bad way or anything like that, but the segments of the level that use it seem to be the only truly enjoyable parts. The section leading up to the boss was neat but lacked proper development and felt way too short.

What I'm seeing a lot in these entries are that the tall horizontal level mode seems to come off as one of those things where level designers feel forced to fill in every single bit of space they can with something, which is usually how the usage of aesthetics and level design starts to become messy and unclear at points. This level is a prime example of that.
FrozenQuills:
-------------------
DESIGN | 41/60
CREATIVITY| 19/30
AESTHETICS| 9/10
TOTAL | 69/100
-------------------

COMMENTS:
why are there so many red ! blocks used as something else in this contest

Pretty level that is pretty good, though with some design flaws. The first half is
too long, and it gets uncharacteristically wild with the castle enemies at some
points, especially in the first layer 2 section. Speaking of which, I find it weird
that entering the bonus area in that section makes the layer 2 smash easier, while
skipping it makes it harder. Guess it really rewards exploration. The boss is also
somewhat disappointing.

Luckily, there are some good points in this level, such as the small throw block
puzzles and some conveyor setups. It's pretty challenging and engaging as a whole
too.

All in all, this is a pretty nice castle level with a wobbly difficulty curve and
unbalanced length, but these issues don't hurt the design too much.
morsel:
53
20
10
83/100
This has some very impressive graphics. But it also has some peculiar graphics (one was what looked like half a swirly lolly on top of half a spike). The inexplicable popularity of red switch block as warning sign in this contest became actual in this level (at least for me--it was the second level, but not the last, I played which had it). There are some other things I could list: the solid bottom of the crate being the same as the semi-solid ledge; two types of throw block for some reason; big boss door with an exclamation mark in its middle; the dotted outline invisible question blocks (being introduced with a grinder mowing the ground). Having to parse some of this stuff was slightly tiresome. Looking beyond this, I think the level was very well made. The was a good variation in obstacles; and a good sense of challenge in reading these obstacles and in the length of the level (it did not feel too long or too short). I think it might have been more adventurous sometimes (e.g. it ends with a nearly unmodified vanilla boss fight). It seems easy to run out of time (I did).
I'm really curious how fast morsel plays through levels for him to think the level length was nothing of note, because I feel like it's a huge problem with the level. We can talk about the contest time limit all we want, but in the end it's still up to the designer to account for it in the rules and adjust their level accordingly. The lopsided midpoint doesn't really have an excuse either.
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by thatguyif »

So, dumb SMW question: The dropping/falling spikes thing. Is there an arbitrary distance for placing spikes of different speeds? If so, why? (I noticed this only now in the 8+ years I've been watching raocow)
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by SpoonyBardOL »

Where does the remix bgm for the Koopalapolis stage originate? I know I've heard it in other hacks raocow has played but I can't remember which.
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by jayScribble »

SpoonyBardOL wrote: 4 years ago Where does the remix bgm for the Koopalapolis stage originate? I know I've heard it in other hacks raocow has played but I can't remember which.
I think I remember hearing that remix a lot in an earlier SMWC contest that raocow played, where I think if those who submitted levels used vanilla music, the organizers replace them with remixes instead, so I thinking that it's an SMWC original track. I could be wrong, though.
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by S.N.N. »

Yeah, it was the factory remix created for the 7th VLDC. It was part of a pack of about 5-10ish other tracks, with a couple more being added during the 8th and 9th VLDC (most people likely remember how ubiquitous the abstract remix was in those...).
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by Implo »

To be honest I don't understand phenomenon of Someguy712x level. At first figuring out where hidden stuff is may be difficult. I remember that I almost timed out in midpoint room. I was jumping on all clouds, but I felt like hiding mushroom inside cloud was unfair. On the other hand second playthrough was super easy. And on the third hand - bonus route of avoiding all coins is very hard. Also I would appreciate if the level would tell me to reset entry if I get all dragon coins. Otherwise even if you avoid every normal coin, path still will be blocked.

The second level had some little problems with showing what's solid and what's not. I also didn't like the idea of water looking like lava. Also if this "lava" is safe, why tubes with it have sign of skull, like it would be deadly?
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by Mandew »

thatguyif wrote: 4 years ago So, dumb SMW question: The dropping/falling spikes thing. Is there an arbitrary distance for placing spikes of different speeds? If so, why? (I noticed this only now in the 8+ years I've been watching raocow)
You mean Layer 2 Smash? The one where megaspikes/piston crushers/etc Smash down and back up? I think it depends on the X position/horizontal position that the screen is currently at. e.i. Between X positions #$0000 and #$0400 it goes "Falls, rises slowly, pauses, falls again", then between X positions #$0400 and #$0800 it removes the pause, and then beyond that it falls and rises fast.
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by FPzero »

30th, HIDE AND SEEK ITEMS, by SomeGuy712x
71.50/100.00 points
Scores:
FPzero:
Design: 44/60
Creativity: 23/30
Aesthetics: 5/10

Total: 72/100

Comments:
The 500-second time limit hurts this level a lot, but I think it's because you tried to stuff too many ideas and too many puzzle setups into one level. I appreciate the attempt because I really liked puzzling out each level, but I did die of time out during the ghost house segment nowhere close to the end of the level. Maybe I should've taken a more hurried pace but I had no way of knowing the level would be as long as it was, plus the puzzles do take time to understand and solve as a first-time player of the level. I think you should've accounted for the fact you know all the solutions firsthand better when deciding on the level's length.

I thought searching for items to get through rooms was a fun idea, and I liked how you used the fact items will hide behind layer priority to obscure their locations. Searching through shells, behind clouds, in water, in bounce blocks--there were lots of fun ways you hid things. It was a pretty fun experience. One last thing: While I appreciate the messages you left, I couldn't help but feel like there were possibly an unnecessary amount of them constantly popping up and slightly breaking the level's flow.
Ryaa:
Design: 49/60
Creativity: 22/30
Aesthetics: 6/10

Total: 77/100

Review: I actually thought this level had a very neat concept. The idea is clear and concise and it has an actual atmosphere despite using purely vanilla assets. I actually enoyed figuring out a lot of the puzzles and I think the idea is very unique. I do have two main issues with this level though.

The first problem I have is that some of the puzzles are a little too concealed behind the riddles you have placed. One suggestion I have that could have fixed this is to identify important hints that you could use to figure out a section with things like coins or something. This could have especially been effective in sections where things were hidden either in blocks or placed in a way where they would be invisible until touched. The other issue I had is that the portion with Yoshi and the dialogue with it felt unfitting as the rest of the level up to this point had been pretty much single screen no-plot sections. It would have been nice to see more actual plot buildup in the earlier sections if the Ghost House portion was meant to be that significant. Even still, I really enjoyed this level and I think the music adds a lot of puzzle feel to it where it doesn't get boring or anything like that.
FrozenQuills:
-------------------
DESIGN | 43/60
CREATIVITY| 24/30
AESTHETICS| 7/10
TOTAL | 74/100
-------------------

COMMENTS:
brute force method ftw

Cute and clever level. I don't think I've seen a level where you have to look for
items like this. I like the rooms where you can barely see where the items are, but
unfortunately a lot of the rooms can be solved via guess and check AKA brute force.
It's too long on a first playthrough as well, so it's easy to run out of time.

Nice job on making some rooms have multiple solutions, by the way. The ghost house
puzzles were better than the outside ones in my opinion.

Finally, I really suggest toning down on the message boxes; a lot of the rooms and
conditions speak for themselves.

Anyway, this level is pretty good and has some occasional creative bits, but could
have pushed the envelope more.

(BTW I think this would be a fun level to speedrun, though I'm not sure how you can
add a prize for that vanilla-wise.)
morsel:
35
23
5
63/100
Name on title screen. This level would not stop talking to me. Running out of time was a joyous moment. Replaying it, I still cannot muster much enthusiasm for the level. A lot of the tasks seem trivial and uninteresting to me.
29th, Metallic Metropolis, by PokerFace
71.75/100.00 points
Scores:
FPzero:
Design: 43/60
Creativity: 21/30
Aesthetics: 8/10

Total: 72/100

Comments:
There's no denying that you've created a very visually interesting level. It's kind of incredible you were able to make the tiles you were. But, I think you spent a little too much time figuring out if you could make the level look like it does, instead of thinking if you *should*. Because for all its impressive tiling my biggest fault with the level is that it is extremely visually overwhelming. There is so much detail crammed into every single inch of this level, be it things moving in the walls, the backgrounds, or the pseudo-backgrounds on Layer 1 that part of the level's challenge, for me, was simply figuring out if a platform was solid or not. And I know you kept solid platforms visually similar using good paletting but the fact remains that there was just so much going on at all times that I still had trouble navigating the level.

Once we get past the visuals, I'd argue that the design is good but nothing amazing. The best parts are the both interior sections because of the Layer 2 adding an interesting element to it. The fast piston smashers looked nice and added a good late-level challenge to circumvent, and the falling platforms section over the not-lava worked well too. Honestly, both of these could've been expanded upon greatly instead of having as many outdoors segments as you did. Because for the most part, not too much interesting happened outdoors unless the spark-grinders were involved as they traveled across the exposed powerlines. (They was a graphical replacement I really liked by the way.) It was mostly just koopa obstacles with nothing else going on to make them interesting. A bigger focus on the sparks or smashers throughout the level would've gone a long way.

Lastly, I disliked the boss fight for two reasons. First, the smashers are not adequately hinted at and caught me off guard. Yes, there was the flashing ! tile there, but in the past it was used for the "lava" or for smashers that were *visible*. These ones start completely offscreen and give no hint of their existence until they smash down. And seeing as the player is probably going to go for the throw blocks located under where they smash down, there's a good chance the player will get surprise smashed. Second, once you realize the smashers exist, the fight becomes completely easy. That trail of sparks looks cool but you never have to interact with it because it doesn't do anything other than sit in the middle of the room, and there are no other obstacles in the way of fighting the boo. Oh, and I guess a third point would be that I really didn't like the music in the boss fight. It sounded glitchy and mechanical and shrill.

All in all, this level is really pretty but seems to sacrifice its level design and some clarity in pursuit of visual grandeur. Don't forget that visuals are just one part of making a good level.
Ryaa:
Design: 41/60
Creativity: 14/30
Aesthetics: 6/10

Total: 61/100

Review: The biggest problem that some of these levels with off the wall aesthetics have is that the aesthetic choices tend to be a little overwhelming for first-time players. All of these ideas are brillant but lack the proper construction needed to make it feel like you can actually move through the level without a random inconvenience that shouldn't even be there. My best example could be how hard it is to actually decipher what is solid and what isn't. A lot of "background" tiles are very similar to the foreground tiles which make it extremely hard to move around without worrying that you might accidentally fall.

On the topic of falling, I will say that the replaced lava was a very clever edition and is something I wouldn't have expected to see. I personally don't have a problem with this other than me feeling like the introduction to this could have been a bit clearer. Because of how overwhelming the aesthetics are, I completely missed the enemies falling into the replaced lava tiles because of how much was going on at once the moment the level began. Perhaps if the decoration around these tiles was reduced then it would be much easier to actually see it properly.

As the level went on I noticed that a lot of the platforming mechanics were scattered across different sections where things were added that didn't really contribute much to the overall goal of the level. The big problem here is that the underground sections didn't actually align with what was going on outside. The random dragon coin challenge didn't add anything that made it feel like it connected with what was going on throughout the main level.

Moving on to the boss now. I didn't like the music. The port isn't very pleasing to listen to and it made the boss feel like a very random edition. There was no build-up to this at all which felt disappointing after reaching it. I think that it would have been a bit better to add more of a warning to show that the smashing layer was going to actually fall. The ! block graphic didn't really do that job well since it can be easily missed.

In conclusion, I am certain that I would have liked this level much more if it had more of a focus that worked specifically with how the categories were setup rather than filling the level with a ton of aesthetic tiles and level gimmicks that are introduced quickly and forgotten even quicker.
FrozenQuills:
-------------------
DESIGN | 50/60
CREATIVITY| 19/30
AESTHETICS| 10/10
TOTAL | 79/100
-------------------

COMMENTS:
think i recongize who made these kinds of aesthetics

Beautiful level. There's so much attention to detail in the environment I have to
say.

Anyway, the gameplay is solid. There isn't too much to note in the first half as
it's mostly just exploring and dodging some koopas and fish now and then. It felt a
bit too easy but it's good. I like that there are two paths, though the RUN path is
much more interesting than the upper path.

The second half picks up on the action by adding those "sparkies", and the smasher
room is a treat. The boss is also really cool and it ties the elements of the
second half together well.

I managed to find all the dragon coins without much trouble. The koopa puzzle that
you need to solve to get one is neat.

So yeah, very solid level that gets more fun to play as it goes on. It could have
been more fun in the first half but it feels professionally designed around the
environment.
morsel:
45
20
10
75/100
It's that ole red switch block again. This time he is blushing. I spent the first hundred or so seconds dropping things into the grinding machine. Despite this, I forgot later on in the level that the straight line over it was not something I could stand on. I was often stopping and looking at all the objects on screen to try and determine what would be safe to stand on. Some of the colours could be more differentiated (e.g. the sparky uses colours that match the background). There were many fabulous touches: the grinding machine; the mallets; the moldorm entity; the giant face. The level was not built around anything in particular; it was very much focussed on its environment. I do not think it made full use of its ideas. No use was made of the grinding machine's property which was introduced at the beginning (i.e. that it kills sprites). The layer 2 falls section was very typical of layer 2 falls sections. There were a couple of conveyors in the level, very far apart (one was placed solely to confuse me when I tried to enter a vertical pipe). I felt the face on the wall was rather too grandiose for the content of the level. Far all this, an enjoyable play and a competently designed level.
HIDE AND SEEK ITEMS may be the first time I've ever taken off a point or two for message boxes, but I really felt like there was an unnecessary amount of handholding and random trivia being thrown around in them, breaking the level's flow. It wasn't huge, but it was something. As for the time limit, my usual response applies here. Sometimes less can be more.

I feel like I may have become conditioned by previous VLDCs to feel like levels that place an over-emphasis on visuals often pair themselves with only average level design. Metallic Metropolis was okay, but there was a lot of Koopa use in the level instead of more interesting enemies, and I feel like it could have done a lot more with the unique enemies it did use, like the electricity grinders and the roaming sparkys. There was also a falling Layer 2 section in the first half that you missed that I think had a a nice little idea in it. That and the smasher at the end that scared raocow actually killed me unprompted the first time I entered the room, so I wasn't too happy about that. Maybe I'm being unfair to overly detailed levels because I won't deny they look amazing. I just always question how much of a level's build time is spent on that aspect that only gets you 10 points instead of the design and creativity aspects that get you the remaining 90.
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by TheOneOfMystery »

Looking at this levels makes me think about how if they were in a hack, what world they would each be in. Athletic Synergy would probably be a post-postgame level lol.
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by thatguyif »

Mandew wrote: 4 years ago
thatguyif wrote: 4 years ago So, dumb SMW question: The dropping/falling spikes thing. Is there an arbitrary distance for placing spikes of different speeds? If so, why? (I noticed this only now in the 8+ years I've been watching raocow)
You mean Layer 2 Smash? The one where megaspikes/piston crushers/etc Smash down and back up? I think it depends on the X position/horizontal position that the screen is currently at. e.i. Between X positions #$0000 and #$0400 it goes "Falls, rises slowly, pauses, falls again", then between X positions #$0400 and #$0800 it removes the pause, and then beyond that it falls and rises fast.
Ah, so it's a default position from the original game being extrapolated onto other levels. Thanks :catplanet:
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by Mandew »

[MURAMUR dev commentary]

Hey that's my level!

My process was pretty simple. First, I picked a music to inspire me. I went with this track by Giftshaven, it had a real nice and warm, evening walk vibe to it. It reminded me of a level setting idea I've been having for a while, that would occur on top of some ruined-ish wall. So the two ideas were combined and that was the aesthetic.

Castle tileset means Castle enemies are a fitting inclusion, but I wanted to mix in some athletic elements too -- so I picked the Math platform to that end. And then I just explored some possibilities. Math platforms work great as a one-way gate into dangerous set-ups, and I thought it synergized very well with the Podoboo Diamond setup in particular.

As it developed, I came up with a few objectives.

For one, I wanted to be the first to submit my level in the thread. I noticed that my level could set a bar while making the contest seem approachable. On one hand, it had very simple ideas, and I thought someone would notice the carefree attitude that went into it. It's a level that said "It's OK to not be super ambitious, just trust in the core of what you want to present". I hoped that it would ease some newcomers into giving this contest a try, if they were to take a look at the submission thread.

On the other hand, it turned out average in all the right senses of the term. I hoped it'd give a concrete idea of what could count for solid, good quality. I thought if someone saw it, it would perhaps make them go, "I can do better than that" and inspire them to bring their A Game.

Of course, I don't actually know if it made a difference in the end, and I'm not so conceited as to assume any it had any results. But the chance for each of these things to occur even for one person was higher than 0%, and for me, that's good enough. I did manage to be the first to submit.


also to get actually serious here, hearing raocow's genuine excitement was super heartwarming!!!
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by FPzero »

27th (tied), Plumbing Job, by MercuryPenny
73.00/100.00 points
Scores:
FPzero:
Design: 41/60
Creativity: 20/30
Aesthetics: 7/10

Total: 68/100

Comments:
A nice, simple trip through a sewer. The rising and falling Layer 2 water in the first half was used pretty well in conjunction with the cheep cheeps, since sometimes it was beneficial to wait for them to get beached so you could kick them away. Though I did also discover that the abundance of koopa shells meant that more often than not you could just carry one and kick it at a group of fish to get rid of the problem instead of interacting with the level design. The second half had a nice bit of backtracking with the water level lowering down.

The level felt a bit short but not in a bad way. I think some ideas could've been expanded upon a little more, like maybe the backtrack could've been a bit longer or had you returning through a different part of the level. But overall the level wasn't too bad.
Ryaa:
Design: 52/60
Creativity: 22/30
Aesthetics: 8/10

Total: 81/100

Review: This level had really great idea. Though I feel like the setting feels pretty mixed up. The background you used along with all of the different flashy colors and the music makes it feel like it's the castle that it portrays rather than a sewer. I think that the part where you remove the clog was pretty simple, yet clever. Because of all of these very intriguing points in this level, it makes me come to the conclusion that the beginning part probably should have been removed as it doesn't really add anything to the level that drastically changes the players idea of what is going on. Despite that, I really like this level.
FrozenQuills:
-------------------
DESIGN | 45/60
CREATIVITY| 17/30
AESTHETICS| 8/10
TOTAL | 70/100
-------------------

COMMENTS:
transluscent dirt

Pretty nice water-ish level. The level is well built around high and low tides;
unfortunately, the only interesting thing about it is that you can kill the fish
during low tides. Not much else changes aside from swimming vs. land physics,
though it does provide good interplay between the two.

I like how you're supposed to lower the tide in the second half. The dragon coins
were also placed well.

Still, the level would benefit from having more interesting fish puzzles or a
larger variety of enemies.
morsel:
50
15
7
72/100
This was really a job for a sanitary engineer. A simple, nicely made level. Some of the colours could have been better differentiated (particularly the crate thing you could interact with). I liked how you were able to get past the rips easily (by using shells).
27th (tied), MURAMUR, by Mandew
73.00/100.00 points
Scores:
FPzero:
Design: 46/60
Creativity: 21/30
Aesthetics: 5/10

Total: 72/100

Comments:
This level has some nice little challenge to it. I liked how you created setups with the diagonal podoboos that make them move relatively reliably in that diamond pattern. They're good obstacles like that. Mixing the timed lifts with castle enemies is something I don't think I've seen much of, and having to use them while avoiding thwomps and hotheads in the second half was pretty cool. I think you could've used a second powerup in the second half, because as far as I can tell there's only the one at the midpoint and the second half is the tougher part. I beat the level by having both hits from before the midpoint, but had I died and had to restart I probably would've had a harder time navigating some of the setups. Overall, a nice manageable challenge that I almost wish was ever so slightly longer, just because I was enjoying myself.
Ryaa:
Design: 48/60
Creativity: 20/30
Aesthetics: 5/10

Total: 73/100

Review: This was such a cute little level. It was one of those where no part of it was unfun in the slightest. I replayed it a bunch and I loved it. What really upset me is that the level is a little short. While the ideas are fairly simple, I feel like the level could have definitely worked well with a slightly longer setting. What I'm reeeaaaalllyyy upset about is that this level could have functioned so well with new aesthetics. I think the Vanilla graphics do it justice though it would have been neat to see some newer design ideas. Despite these things, I really enjoyed this level and it made me feel really good after completing it.
FrozenQuills:
-------------------
DESIGN | 50/60
CREATIVITY| 20/30
AESTHETICS| 7/10
TOTAL | 77/100
-------------------

COMMENTS:
this is a definitely a recognizable aesthetic

Very solid level! I love the sprite placements as a whole, especially the diagonal
podoboos, timed platforms, and thwomps. The whole level is pretty simple, but it
feels professionally arranged, and fun to boot. The dragon coins provided some
extra credit too; they were all satisfying to get.

I can't really think of anything wrong with this level. I suppose it could be a bit
more creative, prettier, and maybe even a bit longer.

The =) in this level sums up my feelings.
morsel:
48
14
8
70/100
This was very well put together. While being simple, it is never trivial (e.g. the sparky around the power-up block at the beginning)--it always makes you think about your jumps. It could have been a little longer and more substantial. The reflectors wander off after a few bounces.
25th (tied), THE GROUND IS GOLD, by neosaver
73.25/100.00 points
Scores:
FPzero:
Design: 45/60
Creativity: 22/30
Aesthetics: 6/10

Total: 73/100

Comments:
I liked both main ideas this level had but I feel like they don't really belong in the same level. They are very far removed from one another and don't really mix at all. Sliding down slopes in Mario is always fun, and it was neat to see you use the fact you can jump really far using them as a design element. Then dropping the bowser statue down through the level as it fires at you was also neat, though messing up the puzzle at any point was a heavy penalty to the player since they had to restart the whole section over, not just the part they messed up. I know that it had to be done that way, but it's still a pain to have to replay all your progress. Thankfully, that part was short.

If the two halves had more to do with each other in terms of design and not just visuals, then this level would've been stronger. But as it is now it feels like two separate level ideas smashed together. They're both good ideas, but they don't mix well.
Ryaa:
Design: 38/60
Creativity: 20/30
Aesthetics: 8/10

Total: 66/100

Review: I must say I felt like I was playing Minecraft in the first part of this since the gold ore graphics resemble that game a lot. I'm a bit concerned about the lack of identification of where offscreen munchers are going to be when you're falling down from higher areas. It's a bit inconvenient to have to do the statue section again due to munchers being placed in areas where you wouldn't have any way of knowing that it wasn't safe to fall there. I was a bit confused when wondering why the sliding gimmick was introduced with an in-depth description even though it was completely scrapped once you get to the second section. You can pretty much go the entire level without really focusing on the sliding aspect and it's a little weird with how it was made out to feel like an imporant addition to the level's flow.

I was a bit disappointed seeing that the golden section was just a couple screens. It would have been very fun to see that have a more developed setting since the level's base idea is surrounding the golden theme. The statue section was pretty fun to play when ignoring the muncher issue.
FrozenQuills:
-------------------
DESIGN | 46/60
CREATIVITY| 20/30
AESTHETICS| 7/10
TOTAL | 73/100
-------------------

COMMENTS:
wheee

Cool level. The second half is completely different from the first half, yet
the level is fun overall. Kinda reminds me of Indiana Jones a bit.

I really liked that you made sliding a main gimmick in the beginning. It's not
something you see often, and it's fun finding secrets with slide jumping. The
second half is more of a series of action puzzles, but they were all simple and
fun. The block snake race is especially good. The way the level's end ties itself
to the beginning is a nice touch.

So yeah, this is a short and simple level with good execution and design. I kinda
wished it did more with the slide jumping but the first half is sufficient.
morsel:
50
23
8
81/100
The level incorporated sliding very neatly in using it for progress and secrets. It also hid things nicely in other ways. The falling statue part was the best part, though; there were some excellent ideas here. I would like to have seen it developed even further.
25th (tied), OH THAT'S HOT, by Mad Lad
73.25/100.00 points
Scores:
FPzero:
Design: 54/60
Creativity: 28/30
Aesthetics: 6/10

Total: 88/100

Comments:
Now I've seen everything. An athletic skull raft level! This was actually an extremely cool level and I don't think I've seen skull rafts used this creatively before. Deliberately shrinking their size, having pieces of the raft fall from above, making the raft split along two different tracks because of 1F0 usage...it was all really cool to see develop over the level's length. At first I was going to suggest that having Swoopers and other enemies just sittin in midair didn't look great visually, but I quickly realized that if you took the time to "attach" them to background elements you wouldn't really be able to make the gameplay as engaging as you did. It still doesn't look great to see them floating there but so be it. Big walls of fireballs and swoopers are the main enemies to avoid here, and the Timed Lifts made for good ways to transition between skull rafts while still keeping the challenge high. But the challenge was always fair too, as long as you could keep up. This was a lot of fun to play and I'm actually glad there was a third segment to the level because when I hit the midpoint I was getting disappointed thinking it was going to be a short one. Turns out it wasn't and it was very good.
Ryaa:
Design: 35/60
Creativity: 18/30
Aesthetics: 7/10

Total: 60/100

Review: At first I really thought that this level was going to flow a certain type of way due to how well the music and color choices set the atmosphere. This was very misleading though. The level was progressing normally up until like 20 seconds later when enemies are spinning and spawning in midair (which was done on purpose) and feels messily put together. I'm a little disappointed that this level seems to focus on Skull Rafts and even performs really cool methods of making them spawn but then leaves a lot of that behind to become 1F0 land. I can tell that the creator of this level put effort into this but I think that a little too much effort was put in certain places when it should have been placed more in the areas that contributed the most to the flow and gimmick of the overall level. It would have been very nice to have this level focus solely on skull rafts and doing more cool aesthetic transitions between skull rafts and whatnot. A bit of a letdown here but I can see all of the potential and how far this level's concept could have actually been taken.
FrozenQuills:
-------------------
DESIGN | 51/60
CREATIVITY| 21/30
AESTHETICS| 6/10
TOTAL | 78/100
-------------------

COMMENTS:
the red switch block aesthetic appears yet again

Very solid level. Despite how hectic the skull rides are, I was able to read
everything on my first try quite well. The level surprises and engages the player
with well placed obstacles without being overwhelming. There's also a clear
difficulty curve.

I'm not sure if the third section is needed, to be honest. It's harder for sure,
but the giant bat wall was a bit much. The level as a whole also isn't too
creative, but I do like the falling skull rafts.

At the end of the day, this is a simple, well designed, and interesting level.
morsel:
40
20
7
67/100
Pretty successful attempt to emulate a DKC atmosphere in vanilla SMW. The raft ride was quite standard (blaargs and bats), but pleasant to enough to play. The enemy walls are becoming a bit hackneyed by this point, even if they fit in well thematically here. Good attention was given to the playability of the level (see how it indicates the strange behaviour of the skull rafts as they just vanish). This is an another level where having three parts is not necessarily better: Having just two meatier parts might have been more engaging, given how essentially similar everything was. The warning sign could have had a better graphic (it looks like a red switch block). At the first spiny spin jumping part, you can easily outrun the skull raft by accident.
Too many levels to give detailed thoughts so I'll just say I loved OH THAT'S HOT a ton. I think I've finally warmed up to JUMP-style level design, even if I can't design it for myself at all.
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by muuma »

The Ground is Gold is my level, posting level facts here about raocow's playthrough:

Actually there are no blind jumps, but the part where you got trouble was a bit confused, you are supposed to stay on the left, maybe I should have added more coins to point that out, and then you can see a platform below, but since you indeed wanted to rush, you fell in the trap, it's a punishment for not looking clearly but I should have just let this passage closed since there was already a sparky as an obstacle. My score went a bit down for that.
You missed the first dragon coin at the beginning, there is an empty space on the left with the munchers, a vine brings you back.
The part you fell and thought that was a reset door, if you manage to jump correctly, you reach a pipe with a fun bonus zone, but nobody will see it now. :(
The puzzle with the eating blocks was made with utmost care because I noticed you could get stuck, but you did it on the first try that way, it was a bit confusing so good job!
The last dragon coin is on the left of the pyramid, don't directly use the statue to take the door, spinjump on a fireball to reach the left side and find it.
The last screen contains a lot a coins if you fall down, but the path you took can allow you to reach the highest part of the goal point and aim for the 50.
I love Spelunky and money.

Yoshi's Island 2 was changed into Yoshi's House 2, there is another house inside with a text box taunting Mario saying he has so much money he can buy another house.

Also funny enough, raocow liked my first comment where I was joking with my friend who tested it months ago before the contest, then I edited it and then the like disappeared. :V I will still handle the memories of it forever. Don't worry raocow, I wasn't being mean, he's a dear friend of mine and we play a lot together. He's the one who told me about the lost like, so give back like!
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I see what you did there...
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by raocow »

there
the chillaxest of dragonsImage
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by Mandew »

I wish that level (Flames of Muspell) was a little easier to read. Some hazards blend with non-hazards. I had difficulty parsing the Spinies and hopping flame remnants, and I wasn't even the one playing it.

Cool story and aesthetics, though
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by Implo »

Fact that there is a lot of Layer 2 smasher isn't really surprising for me. This kind of gimmick is pretty popular in the contests. I think VLDC 11 is rather popular, because it's use of lakitu. Lakitu is mostly avoided by creators, because he's annoying. But in VLDC 11 it appears more often in different level designs. That's interesting and brave.

As for level it's another tough level with a lot of going on at once. I remember in earlier version second half had more podoboos and I believe there was also a lakitu. Yeah, cave part was quite hectic. Right now skull raft is more enjoyable, though it's still difficult.
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by konaa »

Oh That's Hot reminds me of a donkey kong returns/tropical freeze level in that it's very much about a constant state of action and chaos. It feels like a setpiece, and that's impressive in a freaking mario world vanilla hack. That said, I could never play an entire hack that was this busy. In fact, The Ground is Gold also employed a similar "setpiece" esque design idea with the statue puzzle. I'm a big sucker for novelty, so I really enjoy that sort of stuff. I also think it's super neat to see it in a vanilla hack contest. It's very round-peg-in-square-hole style design.
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by FPzero »

24th, Flames of Muspell, by Falconpunch
73.50/100.00 points
Scores:
FPzero:
Design: 49/60
Creativity: 27/30
Aesthetics: 9/10

Total: 85/100

Comments:
The combination of skull raft and Lakitu was a really good idea. However, after dying well over a dozen times just in the first half I did start getting tired of the Lakitu. For one, it's really hard to see the flames he's throwing against the background. He's also just tough to deal with because those flames can end up all over the place, and his hitbox likes to get in the way of jumps that take Mario closer to the top of the screen. But I think the level needs him because without Lakitu the raft rides would be much easier, almost inconsequential.

In the second half, adding Layer 2 to the mix instead of Lakitu was a much better idea, but had the effect of making the level much more frantic and difficult. It still felt fair because powerups were generous and the Layer 2 lava pillars were not actually instant-kills. However, I think adding the fireball generator was a big mistake and here's why: The second half raft ride is very tightly designed so that the player will be approaching obstacles at specific times, with specific windows to safely jump through things. It's very learnable. But the fireball generator messes up this tight design by adding random fireballs to the mix. Sometimes they just get in the way of your required jump and there's nothing you can do to prevent taking damage. Other times they're up at the top of the screen where nothing is going on. It leads to more frustration and unintended damage than this level needs because without it the second half would be *really* good despite the high difficulty. Generators have to be used very carefully, and I think this level is hurt by its inclusion.

Got to quickly shout out how nice this level looked Using the castle rock wall as veins of lava was a genuis idea, and the temple at the end looked fantastic with all the castle blocks and layer 3 pillars in the background. The palette communicated very well how boiling hot this level is supposed to be, and all the fiery graphical replacements were good too (with the exception of the Lakitu one I mentioned above). One thing I did notice in the second half was that the Blarggs went behind the layer 3 background, which did lead to a couple cheap hits. Watch out for things like that.
Ryaa:
Design: 43/60
Creativity: 19/30
Aesthetics: 8/10

Total: 72/100

Review: I'm not a fan of skull raft or autoscroll levels usually, but I like the attempt this level made to be and feel different. The aesthetics fit the setting, the plot is short and to the point, and the level gets the tasks it has completely. Generally I don't have much fun while playing these types of levels because they feel a lot slower and less "in the moment" if you will. During the majority of the first part, there were a lot of obstacles that felt really strange when encountering. The podoboos were placed in ways where you could get hit while you were getting coins which I don't like too much but that isn't much of a serious issue. The lakitu dodging just isn't much fun to me since there are a bunch of things jumping around that you're already meant to dodge. So being thrown back at the very beginning of the level and having to wait a while just to get back to where you were is a bit unfun.

The second section is definitely my favorite though. I love playing it and it really had me on my feet the entire time and I had a ton of fun while getting through it even when I died. The boss is cute too. Even with it just being a Lakitu, it has a lot more depth because of how descriptively short the in-level messages were.

One issue that was very evident in the first section was the confusion with determining what was foreground and what was background. I didn't like the process of getting adjusted to that while dodging spinies, bouncing fire and the still fire all at once.

Despite this, I do believe this level is executed fairly well for what it contains but has a lot of areas where it could have been improved a lot.
FrozenQuills:
-------------------
DESIGN | 40/60
CREATIVITY| 22/30
AESTHETICS| 9/10
TOTAL | 71/100
-------------------

COMMENTS:
at this point just resprite everything as fire

So much chaos! It's quite difficult with all of the enemies and obstacles you have
to pay attention to. Unfortunately, it can be too much at times especially when the
lakitu is around. I'm grateful this level gives out a cape to deal with everything,
but I still feel exhausted at the end, probably because both halves are fairly long.

The castle segment I feel is better than the outside segment. There's some good
interplay between skull rafts and the rambunctious layer 2 smash. The bowser flames
were used well.

Finally, the boss fight is cute though I felt like I had to tank it.

Even with the obstacle saturation, this is a fairly good level that could have been
a bit shorter.
morsel:
44
20
4
68/100
This level takes a perverse delight in confounding the seasoned SMW player. First of all, it gives the hopping flame graphic to a solid block that hurts me. Then it gives a different graphic to the hopping flame sprite, which graphic it then gives to the spiny. The spiny egg has a different graphic that looks like nothing at all and is very hard to see. The stationary bowser statue is coloured to look like the jumping one. There is cave ground that is not solid because it does not have the flashing yellow line, but there is ground indoors that does not have the flashing yellow line that is solid (as well as there being flashing yellow line ground). There is a coin trail directly into the path of a podoboo. There are columns of munchers disguised as lava hidden behind real lava that rise up when you are directly above them (eventually, I notice the red coins). The level was fun once you got past its crusty exterior. It was nice that it gave you a cape with which to kill the dangerous things you encounter. There was a pop-up message. Some of the sprites are chaotic (RNG podoboo; respawning bowser statue flames from the left; spinies walking on lava slopes): I did enjoy how difficult is was, but 160s of this stuff was perhaps a bit much. The second half had less of this kind of thing and was shorter and so much more enjoyable (the smashing layer 2 part was smashing). I liked the boss fight. The reticular effect in the ground looked fantastic. Nice choice of music.
This level is an example of how random generators can really hurt otherwise tight level design. The second half would be so much more enjoyable without it. The biggest problem in the first half is just that the spiny egg graphic is too hard to read against the background. It could also stand to maybe be a screen or two shorter since that first half has more than a few long raft rides. It's definitely a slower level because of the rafts, though I will still say it's well designed overall.
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by Piesonscreations »

Is the level name (OH THATS HOT) a youtube rewind will smith reference? how dare you :toaster:
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by Valentine »

tight level design.
eehhhhhh, I disagree
Like, the generator is a bad idea, but the level design in the second half is still questionable and unreasonable at times.

Maybe I'm just mad because I thought my level would fit into the video today. shrug
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by Valentine »

see I want to pretend that I didn't expect my level to be played today but in reality I've been following the let's play the entire time so I have no excuse to even pretend.

anyways my dumb rambling aside it's DEV COMMENTARY time.

So funny story, because I'm an aesthetics nerd I decided on the palette first, except I misread the rules and thought you couldn't change the palette colors so until like a while into making the level it was literally just the basic smw snow palette because I remembered that the snow palette ghost house tiles are the best looking thing in vanilla smw, and then I later realized I misread the rules and could change the palettes but I already thought it looked really nice so I just added some checkerboard patterns to the ghost house tiles.

The level itself was made in literally 2 days because I hadn't made anything in a while and just had a lot of ideas for whatever reason so I don't really have much to say other than the fact that literally everyone except raocow couldn't do the setup with the porcu-puffer the intentional way so that's cool I guess??

other than that there was a bit where I couldn't figure out what graphics to use for the line-guide ends and I had three potential candidates which were these:
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featuring my masterclass in naming files
I still like the level though the platform part could've been adjusted a bit.
Music, for anyone curious is The Frozen Eternal Capital from Touhou 15

and also everyone who didn't change their title screen is a COWARD
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by Implo »

Hey look. There is fourth section of Athletic Synergy with a missing midpoint today. So yeah, GENERAL TROTYL is my level. Originally I planned to do dolphin generator climbing level. I called that TUNA BLASTER, but gimmick was quite janky and it was working whenever it felt like. I took a break from working on level and played other entries. 2 weeks before deadline I decided to make this level. It was inspired by other entry - Athletic Synergy. I only decided to focus only on this gimmick and make it a tiny bit easier compared to original.

It was the first time for me to use this gimmick and it's visible in my level design. It's just a bunch of ideas without actual flow. Mainly because of that I was very surprised on how well my level scored. In VLDCX I got 169th place, so my only objective in VLDC 11 was to avoid Worst 10. I made many really major mistakes in previous contest, so this time I decided to make something shorter, easier and more focused on only one gimmick.

Just after watching other people videos I notice that some coin trails aren't properly placed. I also had other problem with it. After grabbing coins and using reset pipe, coins don't respawn. I have no idea why. It was very difficult to do these jumps without coin trail. At least for me. So I decided to change them to act as dirt.

You may not know, but there are dragon coins in this level. I placed them in the way that they can be really easily missed. I wanted to get reaction from player who find one: "There are dragon coins in this level? What?!". Personally I feel gathering them disrupts the flow of the level. But I left it, somebody may like to hunt those.
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by ft029 »

I'm genuinely impressed with both levels today, albeit in very different ways. I like the flow and challenge of the first level. The second is just a neat idea, although perhaps could be more creative in its execution. Well done to both of you guys!
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Re: Vanilla Level Design Contest 11 -- tim horton's betrayal

Post by FPzero »

23rd, Temple of Fish Gods, by Sancles
75.00/100.00 points
Scores:
FPzero:
Design: 46/60
Creativity: 23/30
Aesthetics: 7/10

Total: 76/100

Comments:
I think the first half of the level was a bit better designed if only because it felt a bit more manageable than the second half. It was cool to see the Rip Van Fish get used out of water, since they act a little differently that way. Using them to spinjump across spikes looked dangerous at first, but was actually easier than doing so with a grinder since they moved slower.

I can tell you took the time to carefully align and time the line guides in the second half, but I felt like they were a little too weirdly placed at times. For one, I could never get past the porcupuffer without taking a hit because he was always positioned exactly in the middle of the platform I needed to jump on to proceed. And messing up a jump meant falling in the pit. By contrast, the first half felt more fair because you would often get penalized for messing something up by just landing on spikes, letting you continue on and try again next time. Since it wasn't on line guides, it also meant you could just take your time and I enjoyed that section a fair bit.

Lastly, I think the final few screens of the second half were unnecesary, since they didn't really add anything new after the line guides were done. I'd have just cut the screens and ended it after the line guides finished so you weren't left with this hanging bit of level design that looks like it wanted to be part of the first half but couldn't be otherwise it'd make that part too long.
Ryaa:
Design: 45/60
Creativity: 17/30
Aesthetics: 8/10

Total: 70/100

Review: I get a really weird energy while playing this level for the first time. Immediately when I entered, I took a moment to appreciate the usage of music and colors to form the atmosphere. The level design itself was a bit above average at best. Though the first half wasn't as engaging as the second. With the way the Rip Van Fish gimmick is set up, it can be a bit finnicky to work with considering you have to risk running into spikes when trying to get them to go faster.

Moving on to the second section, I felt that this section did really well. I'm just not too big of a fan of how weird some of the movement between the two platforms is. At some points you have to shuffle a bit to actually safely get through the section which can be a bit inconvenient. The entire section as a whole is pretty fun to play though. The only thing I specifically don't like here is the urchin replacement.

The level as a whole works well with what it looks to achieve. I'm just not so sure if there is anything here in terms of level design that is too remarkable or eye-catching but it was a good level nonetheless.
FrozenQuills:
-------------------
DESIGN | 48/60
CREATIVITY| 23/30
AESTHETICS| 9/10
TOTAL | 80/100
-------------------

COMMENTS:
hey buddy, get your rip van fish off my temple

Interesting gimmick, interesting aesthetic, interesting level! This makes really
good use of rip van fish out of water, and the first half introduces the enemy
well. The saw obstacles make a good pairing with the fish as well.

The second half is where things get a little bit squirrely, but it's still good.
The platform maneuvers were cool and had a lot of on the spot thinking. Some things
could have been a bit more clear though. For example, I wasn't expecting the
platform to drop off so quickly by the mushroom, and I could not react in time for
both rip van fish hopping sections. Really liked the falling platform and saw setup
at the end though.

So yeah, this is a nice looking, good level.
morsel:
48
18
8
74/100
The platform ride in the second half was brilliant, a nicely balanced and organised section. The first half was less focussed. You have to bounce on line-guided and non-line-guided saws, which have different hitboxes. Some things felt out of place with how tight they were (that ground grinder bounce; some of the platform to platform transitions). I loved the wavy hdma spikes.
22nd, GENERAL TROTYL, by Galaer/Implo
75.25/100.00 points
Scores:
FPzero:
Design: 45/60
Creativity: 22/30
Aesthetics: 5/10

Total: 72/100

Comments:
I really appreciate that you used non-interactive colored coins to signal when you should and shouldn't press buttons while being rocketed out pipes. Those diagonal pipes have always been a favorite element of mine since they can lead to these sorts of miniature automatic sections when combined with enemy bouncing. I think you explored interesting ways to use them pretty well, which is good because there wasn't much else to the level. I don't mean that in a bad way this time, just that it was the one major idea being explored without much else in the way of standard "Mario" level design.

A couple suggestions I think would've improved it more: Red is kind of a harsh color to base your whole level around. Thankfully you didn't use pure, bright reds and went for darker ones but watch out with how much you use it. Next, I think it would've been good to have more mushrooms in places where you have to bounce on enemies, because if you mess up a shot or bounce you can end up hitting them instead. I suppose that's the danger, but I feel like the level's challenge is more about learning how to time your maneuvers, and not really about avoiding damage. And lastly, I think the sublevel entrance camera placement for a lot of pipe shots wasn't too good. A lot of them shoot you up where Mario's off the screen and you can't really see what he's doing until he touches ground for a second and it moves up. This was most evident on the final shot where the camera really should've been placed higher since the action was up higher.

Fun level overall, really enjoyed blasting out of pipes.
Ryaa:
Design: 50/60
Creativity: 25/30
Aesthetics: 4/10

Total: 79/100

Review: This is such a good level idea. Utilizing the player physics while in the shooting pipe state is something I wouldn't have expected. The only issues I can really see here are that the level itself needs polish in the aesthetics and level design departments. The design itself is fun and fluid but I think the coin indicators could be adjusted to help the player have a better understanding of when to hold which button. Though this isn't much of an actual issue considering the level includes reset pipes in case you fall. I definitely don't like the palette usage but it fits the atmosphere that the music sets. Overall I'm really appreciative of what this level does and I hope to see more things like it in the future.
FrozenQuills:
-------------------
DESIGN | 50/60
CREATIVITY| 24/30
AESTHETICS| 3/10
TOTAL | 77/100
-------------------

COMMENTS:
ugly heck but with fireworks

Cannons are super underutilized in SMW and you managed to make a level out of them.
Wow. Even if some of the button pressing you have to do is a bit precise, the
resets are generous and it's easy to get a hang of the coin guides. There's also
the challenge of beating this before time runs out.

The only thing I would suggest is to tell the player to not press any directional
movement until you see the arrows, since I can see some not understanding that. I
also wished it was a bit more than just following coin guides.

But yeah, great job with this, even if I really don't like the palette and graphic
choices lol
morsel:
43
25
5
73/100
An admirable effort to make a level out of the cannon pipe momentum gimmick. It is an inherently janky gimmick for various reasons: the variable speed out of the pipe; losing speed on the ground depending on how many frames you have stayed there; how long you need to hold the button down and when to release (this last compounded by the different input delays players will have). Nonetheless, I think you gave sufficient margin for error and tested the level enough that these things did not put too much strain on the playing experience. Perhaps an extra mushroom at some point would have been nicer, as avoiding damage should not be part of the challenge (although there is one point where you can damage boost and avoid making a momentum jump). I loved the incorporation of p-switches and spin jumping into the typical koopa bouncing. It is a very ugly level though, perhaps intentionally so--but I liked its old-fashioned appeal. I had a lot of fun playing this one.
Sanct wrote:...I don't really have much to say other than the fact that literally everyone except raocow couldn't do the setup with the porcu-puffer the intentional way so that's cool I guess??
For whatever reason it never occurred to me to try spinjumping on the porcupuffer. I think it was because the line guide brought the platform over to the platform there and jumping from one to the other looked to be the easiest way back up. Perhaps if the guide had dropped the platform a little earlier it would have been clear that a porcupuffer jump was intended, by making it the only way to get back to the top line.
Implo wrote:After grabbing coins and using reset pipe, coins don't respawn. I have no idea why. It was very difficult to do these jumps without coin trail. At least for me. So I decided to change them to act as dirt.
It has to do with Object memory. If you insert coins through the Standard Objects window they won't respawn, but if you insert them through Direct Map16 they will. That said, I think your method of using them as visual guides and not actual collectible coins worked a lot better.
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