Vanilla Level Design Contest X - 1he First place entry...well d0ne to all.

[Grounder]

my left ear loved that techno music

[Sugar]

64th: An Unusual Trip Out by SomeGuy712x

Koopster
DESIGN: 23/50
CREATIVITY: 26/30
AESTHETICS: 11/20
TOTAL SCORE: 60/100

The first half is certainly of quality as an automatic level, but that's kinda defying from what this contest is about - playability. Also, it's very VERY confusing in your first run. For some reason I tried collecting all the coins because it seemed to favor doing that. The rest of the level is a handful of challenges that have very little to do with one another. It felt... fine to execute at best. The side puzzles aren't even that challenging, they're very straight-forward (except the moon, that looks insane) and I really don't like how a very random pipe takes to one of the dragon coins. Don't feel very strongly about the design of this one. Try using a central idea next time.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 42/50
CREATIVITY: 27/30
AESTHETICS: 13/20
TOTAL SCORE: 82/100

Fun all around. It's like a playground. Even if I felt it was bland if you played the first half
normally.

Noivern
DESIGN: 24/50
CREATIVITY: 19/30
AESTHETICS: 7/20
TOTAL SCORE: 50/100

It was decent. So much effort is put into the secondary "automatic level" nature of the level that the actual playable level suffers from it, seeming needlessly chaotic and random. The cave sublevel, which is bypassed in an automatic playthrough, is noticeably better designed. But I will give you credit for making an automatic level that isn't immediately obvious. Wasn't a fan of the fact that you can kill yourself in the last section of the normal exit route by hovering with the cape.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 18/50
CREATIVITY: 16/30
AESTHETICS: 13/20
TOTAL SCORE: 47/100

The outside part of this level is a mess, let's get that out of the way. It's extremely frustrating to navigate and has no need to be that way. The inside puzzle, on the other hand, is actually pretty decent and enjoyable, and organized, completely contrary to the rest of it. Even as a non-lover of puzzles, I wish you had made the whole level like the inside part.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 27/50
CREATIVITY: 18/30
AESTHETICS: 8/20
TOTAL SCORE: 53/100

Unusual indeed. There's quite a lot of stuff in the first section/secret path, though most of it is strictly optional. In this respect it accomplishes non-linearity reasonably well, and is far less chaotic than it seems at a glance, though things like the dragon coins can be difficult to find, especially since a few of them are in decidedly non-intuitive places. And the secret exit is obscure to say the least.

The middle section refers to itself as a puzzle, though it's really more of an obstacle course based on the correct execution of certain tasks. Taken as such, it's not a bad section, though keeping the turn block whole through the Spike Tops, Swoopers and sliding Koopa feels a touch more annoying than anything (until you realize you can just throw it upwards to take them out while maintaining its structural integrity). That said, the inclusion of a powerup and reset door in each individual challenge prevents anything from getting too tedious, so it's a reasonable challenge on the whole. The final dragon coins seems unexpectedly elaborate, though the fun house is certainly an improvement on Alfred Chicken's take on things. Also, props on using the P-balloon as a bonus rather than a torture device.

+ Brings a surprising amount of method to what looks like it should be madness.
+ Knows how to avoid tedium
- Some dragon coins and especially the secret exit are a bit obscure.

Other: Fun House sure is fun.

63rd: Bowser's Steelworks by Nic Nac

Koopster
DESIGN: 25/50
CREATIVITY: 13/30
AESTHETICS: 15/20
TOTAL SCORE: 53/100

I don't like the second half. Veeeery slow, lots of waiting (one extra cycle for a powerup, damn), lacks action. The final dragon coin is super hard to get if you're big (which is very likely since most of the danger in the level is insta-kill). The first half was fine, although quite unfocused and pretty empty sometimes (the skull raft segment had nothing going for it for example). It didn't seem like a level that was trying to do anything new gameplay-wise, which is fine, but the second half kinda blew it for me.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 25/50
CREATIVITY: 13/30
AESTHETICS: 16/20
TOTAL SCORE: 54/100

The themeing is decent but there isn't much to say about the design itself. The second half
is cool, though lightly wonky.

Noivern
DESIGN: 32/50
CREATIVITY: 16/30
AESTHETICS: 13/20
TOTAL SCORE: 61/100

I'm liking the dark palette, but it could stand to be lighter. Grinders are killed by sliding and via lava, and have a glitched death sprite. The level doesn't really do anything with its gimmick. None of the sprites in the first half are carried over into the second half, and should have been integrated better.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 27/50
CREATIVITY: 15/30
AESTHETICS: 16/20
TOTAL SCORE: 58/100

The first half is pretty standard from a design standpoint; nothing stands out as being particularly creative. The throw block-based sections could have been interesting if they were integrated better into the rest of the design, but as it stands they feel a bit tacked on with no real purpose other than to waste a bit of time (and it's a bit silly to expect the player to know to hold on to the throw blocks above the skull raft). Some sections are also too cramped. The vertical section is more interesting and mostly pretty good, though some of it is a bit too close for comfort. It could have benefitted from the lava being one tile less thick, and the throw block bit is more annoying than anything. æsthetically it's mostly appealing, though the passable pillars being the same color and [rotated] tile as the floors is not the best decision.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 34/50
CREATIVITY: 17/30
AESTHETICS: 17/20
TOTAL SCORE: 68/100

A pretty solid castle/factory level with a very snazzy æsthetic. The first half doesn't try to do anything all too crazy, but what it attempts it executes with a workman-like proficiency (It's quite possible to pass through the molten steel streams and survive, though, which I suspect was not intentional). The second half is a vertical climb with some very tight squeezes, and while it's not all too bad, either, it feels less polished/tested than the first part. The Dry Bones have a certain tendency to get awkwardly stuck in walls and pop out again at importune times (especially problematic when they suddenly drop on your head without warning in one climbing section) and it's quite possible to get stuck forever when aiming for the last dragon coin.

The level looks great, though, in any event. The factory elements are well designed, the molten steel has a pleasing palette which distinguishes it well from mundane lava and contrasts nicely with the darker elements around it, and I smiled at seeing the Klown Kopter repurposed as a crucible. I think the back walls in the final area perhaps look a little -too- castle-like, but aside from that it's a most well-constructed environment indeed.

+ Snazzy æsthetic
+ Solid first half
- Second half feels a little more slapdash
- Could generally stand to push the envelope more in its obstacles

Other: When I was a child, a fellow pupil once asked my teacher what would happen if you fell in to a blast furnace. The teacher replied that you would probably be ashed entirely. "Even your clothes?" another pupil replied. "Your clothes would be the first thing to go!" responded the teacher, with a confused look on his face. Intellectually, I knew this was obvious, but nevertheless, I have to admit, I also had an image of someone coming in to check the furnace the next day and finding among the ashes an immaculate light-grey hooded sweatshirt and a pair of faded jeans, with no trace of their former occupant. It would seem our poor victim also had abominable fashion sense.

61st: Deluged Festival by chineesmw

Koopster
DESIGN: 28/50
CREATIVITY: 21/30
AESTHETICS: 17/20
TOTAL SCORE: 66/100

Some cool ideas are there, but overall the execution is kind of dry - the interesting setups and obstacles that are actually well placed are pretty far apart, while a bunch of them are not very well thought out. The first half in special is very boring and uneventful, and the bullet generator that goes and comes back randomly doesn't help. Also feels disjointed, with a variety of gimmicks that while mostly involve water, aren't really connected or reused all that much between rooms. The elevator room though really has nothing to do with anything. It was a little janky at first, but it's mostly fair, I'm just bothered by that when the ninjis die is not indicated at all. This P-balloon + elevator mechanic (press down to speed up and release to slow down) is really cool and it's a shame that it was barely explored at all (I wonder if you even noticed how it works). The secret exit is pretty dumb, basically just remember the message and enter a random pipe way at the end (aka play the entire level twice).
Also thanks for locking your entry, I guess.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 24/50
CREATIVITY: 23/30
AESTHETICS: 13/20
TOTAL SCORE: 60/100

It's very creative, but it suffers from so many design issues that it really bogs down the experience.
It was quite frustrating.

Noivern
DESIGN: 20/50
CREATIVITY: 13/30
AESTHETICS: 10/20
TOTAL SCORE: 43/100

The beginning started out promising, but quickly became boring and held up by generators. One of the dragon coins (in the first elevator) is hidden in an area that's incredibly easy to miss. The palette is too bright and needed to be toned down.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 32/50
CREATIVITY: 19/30
AESTHETICS: 14/20
TOTAL SCORE: 65/100

For a water-centric level, this isn't bad. The water segments are mostly enjoyable to play through, and the level looks nice (though the blue and red tiles are a pretty ugly combination of colors). However, the elevator segments feel a bit tacked on, and they're not very fun either. While the use of the no entry signs is wise, they still don't always give quite enough reaction time, and that combined with the fact that the Ninjis linger around a bit after falling leads to some unfortunate cornering in places if you don't already have a cape or flower (since you can't jump high enough to deal with them due to the speed). The secret exit is well-conceived though, I'll give you that.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 29/50
CREATIVITY: 20/30
AESTHETICS: 12/20
TOTAL SCORE: 61/100

This level feels like it throws quite a lot of disparate elements the wall, and while those things that stick stick well, those which don't tend to highlight the mishmashy nature in a somewhat negative way.

The opening autoscroll section is probably the weakest of the horizontal sections, though even then, its main sin is throwing in just a few too many things it doesn't really need. I'm not sure how much the generator or non-water layer 2 elements add to the experience; the interaction between the autoscroll, bubbles and layer 2 water, on the other hand, works very nicely indeed. The remaining horizontal sections are quite excellent as well; the draining of the water in area after the first elevator was extremely clever, and the current section was fun as well.

Two things bring down the level, in my opinion. The first is the lift sections. These are jank as stank. The unexpected inability to jump is disconcerting, and takes a while to both notice and learn to compensate for. That the Ninjis will eventually fall off is not obvious, either (and makes it seem as though one is in an unwinnable situation when this is not the case), nor is the fact that in many cases, the safest thing to do is to deliberately move directly in the path of the red X signs when the first appear, as the danger does not come until later. What's more, the first lift is far more unforgiving and difficult from the second; it seems decidedly counterintuitive to introduce the gimmick in the most merciless way possible, then reuse it in a much simpler, more forgiving way later on.

The second issue is the dragon coins and secret exit. Several of the first can be rather difficult to get; I never did quite figure out how to get the one on the lift without getting smooshed. As for the latter, all indications seem to suggest that it is in fact hidden in the second lift section (which it indeed is in a way); I spent an obscene amount of time trying to enter windows and the like and scouring the earlier sections to try to find an entrance to the pipe below. That one instead enters a random pipe in a -later- section and returns to this area one has already completed is not obvious at all, and indeed runs counter to what the message box hints.

Æsthetically, this level is a touch of a mishmash as well; it has a sort of a carnivalesque celebratory style...only it's also in a run-down old warehouse...which is flooded...oh, and there's trees and bushes growing inside the building for some reason, too. Now, a mixture like this -could- work if the level were aiming for more of a surreal, nightmarish feel, but oddly, it seems to play it fairly straight, which just seems discordant, and serves to negatively highlight they "just throw it all in" aspect of the design. Which is sort of a shame, as a lot of the individual pieces -do- look good, and I think it could work with just some atmospheric tweaking to make the disparate elements compliment each other better.

+ Horizontal sections are mostly great.
+ Fun and creative use of layer 2 water.
- Lift sections are not particularly fun at all.
- Secret exit is rather counterintuitive and likely to lead to frustrating wild goose chases on the aforementioned lifts.

Other: Why is the world in love again? Why are we marching hand in hand? Why are the ocean levels rising up? It's a brand new record for 1990...

[10204307]

That autolevel was pretty fun to watch, because there were a lot of moments where Mario comes super close to dying, but narrowly avoids it. The stuff with the springs and the flying snake block were fun touches, as well.

The last two levels, I think, were good examples of the perfect amount of aesthetic for a vanilla Mario level- they're pleasing to look at and help add a flavorful polish to the experience without being overwhelming and obfuscating the actual platforming going on.

[kitikami]

That was a really cool auto-level. Leave it to SomeGuy to put together something so intricate and tightly designed.

[raocow]

not gonna lie, there where a few points where I tempted to take control and do a jump or something because I was real worried

[BobisOnlyBob]

not gonna lie, there where a few points where I tempted to take control and do a jump or something because I was real worried

this is definitely what sets it apart from many other automatics I've seen, it's perpetually tense and makes you feel like you're about to get dunked in a pit or smacked at any moment

[TaviTurnip]

I'm honestly happy literally every morning when raocow plays something because like the past two straight weeks have just been quality quality quality.

This is a good contest LP with good levels in it, and the one(s) I reference in my original post haven't even come up yet. That's how good these levels have been.

[Sugar]

61st: Ghost Town by palerider

Koopster
DESIGN: 23/50
CREATIVITY: 17/30
AESTHETICS: 17/20
TOTAL SCORE: 57/100

I just SUSPECT the entrance is not where it was supposed to be. The playable second half of the level is fine, despite being too short and barely developing the concepts as a consequence. There's this sublevel full of boo rings that takes very long and fills no purpose. The secret exit feels a tad pointless too, but I like where the key is hidden - just wish I didn't have to carry it for the entire level.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 22/50
CREATIVITY: 13/30
AESTHETICS: 17/20
TOTAL SCORE: 52/100

The flavor is endearing, but it's rather uneventful with it's gameplay.

Noivern
DESIGN: 25/50
CREATIVITY: 24/30
AESTHETICS: 18/20
TOTAL SCORE: 67/100

It's unfortunate that this level starts you out at the midpoint, because otherwise it's a fantastic level. I love the attention to detail in the houses, and the BOOnus round was hilarious. The keyhole would have been better if it were somewhere else and not just "get to the end with the key". Looks and plays really well,even if I'm only playing half of it.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 24/50
CREATIVITY: 16/30
AESTHETICS: 16/20
TOTAL SCORE: 56/100

This is on the right track to being good, but it definitely still needs refinement. I like the openness, however it may be a bit too open--many sections feel empty, and the sections that aren't are often crowded. A bit more balance of challenge would have done this level well. I like the visuals as well, though the houses totally look like you can walk through them and that tripped me up a bit.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 27/50
CREATIVITY: 19/30
AESTHETICS: 17/20
TOTAL SCORE: 63/100

Firstly--this level starts at the midpoint. That is to say, the "midway point obtained" flag isn't set or anything; the level entrance is simply at the midpoint, and a portion of the level is outright inaccessible as a result. What remains is admittedly pretty good, but the player is locked out of a fair bit.

Design-wise, there's some interesting bits, and the level makes good use of Boo rings. The town aspect is not purely æsthetic, but reflected in the interiors and assorted secret rooms, which was a nice touch. That said, there's a few questionable elements, mainly blind drops, and a spot or two where you're expected to spin jump on a flame with no indication that this obstacle in anything but a normal jump, or indeed that the flame-spewing statue is even there in the first place. The secret exit is sort of interesting insofar as it opens up an alternative path you you to take if you wish, or alternatively demands some fancy spinjumping skills. Not sure if it was necessary to require bigness for it, though.

The level for the the most part looks great, and the building constructions are seriously well done, and more importantly look distinctly differently from one another, like in a real town. There's one or two spots where the solidity of walls is unclear, though. The atmosphere, however, is spot on.

+ Great atmosphere and architecture
+ Good use of boo rings
- Level starts at midpoint
- Some blind jumps and other oddities.

Other: The "Boonus" was a brilliant bit of dopiness.

60th: Starlight Symphony by Falconpunch

Koopster
DESIGN: 27/50
CREATIVITY: 17/30
AESTHETICS: 17/20
TOTAL SCORE: 61/100

A level that has ideas, but for the most part it doesn't flow that nicely. Aside from a couple of concepts that get reused here and there, you barely grasp a development curve; it just feels like setups are thrown around, one after the other, and their difficulty doesn't get accounted for their order. I could point out several little nitpicks, such as how the powerup in the midpoint is unecessarily costly to get and how the coin trails in the music staff segment are not very helpful. The secret exit is a little bit awkward to reach and it didn't bring anything new to the level outside of aesthetics.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 23/50
CREATIVITY: 17/30
AESTHETICS: 15/20
TOTAL SCORE: 55/100

If you had a better music choice, I would have liked your aesthetics better. Also the level
doesn't keep my gaming boner satisfied enough. It only got interesting near the end.

Noivern
DESIGN: 15/50
CREATIVITY: 15/30
AESTHETICS: 18/20
TOTAL SCORE: 48/100

The secret exit ruined what would have otherwise been a generically designed but still fun level. It's not indicated anywhere whatsoever that you have to drop down onto a *moving* platform that may or may not be there because it can move out of the way entirely. The full-staff saws in the left rope section was pretty cheap, and that section in general should have been condensed to one staff since you can't see both of them at the same time.

Aesthetics were top notch, except for the holes in the woodwind-resembling pipes, which should be round instead of square, looked somewhat crude, and weren't present on all pipes. The secret exit path was beautiful.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 29/50
CREATIVITY: 18/30
AESTHETICS: 19/20
TOTAL SCORE: 66/100

The æsthetic concepts here are great, but the gameplay isn't anything notable. It's a very playable level, but it also gets a little bit repetitive, and the rope sections (especially the last one) could have been thought about a bit more thoroughly--they can be awkward at times and in a couple instances seem to expect the player to know exactly what's coming (see: the last one) without enough reaction time to make on-the-spot judgements. The diagonal pipes probably could have been left out, as they don't really do anything for the level other than make me question your thought process. Otherwise it's fine, but not impressively so.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 36/50
CREATIVITY: 16/30
AESTHETICS: 16/20
TOTAL SCORE: 68/100

This level is decently constructed, but it doesn't seem to quite know when to call it a day. Though it's entertaining enough to play, the level feels as though it goes on rather a bit too long, and has a tendency to repeat similar setups multiple times throughout the course of the level. The biggest offender on this front is the line guide staff, which is repeated three times, getting more complex and honestly kind of messier every time, to the point where the enemies in the last section feel as though they're tossed on to the line guides almost at random. Having coin guides indicate all possible safe spots on the staff rather than a single "ideal" path is also a bit of a questionable idea; instead of making obvious to the player their potential choices for reacting, it just seems visually confusing given the limited reaction time. I'm not sure the secret path helps the level all that much, although it doesn't really hurt it either; the path itself is a little hard to find, especially considering the sprawling layout which does not allow much in the way of backtracking or exploring, but the path itself is pretty short and painless to compensate.

Visually, this level has a lot of good things going for it and all sorts of loving touches, but I think it's brought down a bit by the attempt to include landmasses which look like instruments. It took me quite a while to realize the ghost house parts with white and sometimes black Bowser battle bricks on top were meant to be pianos; they don't really look like such, and are generally not all that visually pleasing compared to the rest of the level. The pipes-with-holes yielding flutes are more instantly recognizable, but still don't look that great, and probably would have worked better as normal pipes. Again, this is an aspect where the level would have benefited significantly by not taking that extra step. On the other hand, the secret path and bonus area are very easy on the eyes, making them feel a bit more like a nice reward.

+ Generally a good visual style
+ Some solid setups taken by themselves
- Level too long and too repetitious
- Instrument terrain not so successfully realized

Other: All in all, confining disco enthusiasts to what are in essence gaudy prison cells in probably the best solution for everyone.

59th: Glittering Grotto by Magi (Magiluigi)

Koopster
DESIGN: 25/50
CREATIVITY: 19/30
AESTHETICS: 20/20
TOTAL SCORE: 64/100

The nature of bubble physics asks for a nicer level than this. It's really cramped especially in the first half. Setups are sometimes clever but there's lots of tight jumps and maneuvering that hurt it a lot, and most of it is really pretty straightforward. Lots of unused potential here. Not big on the final 3 dragon coins; third one because it involves a lot of waiting and for some reason you have to redo part of the main level, fourth one because it's hidden in a pipe with a piranha plant so it's super annoying to look for, and fifth one because it's unecessarily tight and difficult, and the 1-up checkpoint you placed seemingly for it doesn't help, because it's not really a "checkpoint" and it won't save dragons 3 and 4, not in vanilla SMW, not in the compilation.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 13/50
CREATIVITY: 21/30
AESTHETICS: 18/20
TOTAL SCORE: 52/100

Gorgeous, but extremely annoying to play.

Noivern
DESIGN: 29/50
CREATIVITY: 21/30
AESTHETICS: 17/20
TOTAL SCORE: 67/100

Great atmosphere. The bubbles are cute. A lot of the design, particularly in the cave section, is cramped and allows little room to jump. I had a lot of trouble getting through the layer 2 section, especially at the end with the Pokeys, where the low ceilings and small moving pools of water together feel unfair. You almost made me think there was going to be a third section of the level, which thankfully there wasn't (not because the level was bad, but because it was already a good length). The last dragon coin is on a subscreen boundary.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 15/50
CREATIVITY: 16/30
AESTHETICS: 18/20
TOTAL SCORE: 49/100

Visually this is great, but from a gameplay standpoint it's very frustrating. Most of the level feels very cramped, and though the bubbles are generally used with good intention, it's hard to enjoy them because of that. There's a lot more precision involved here than it would seem, and it's unfortunate, because this was on the right track.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 27/50
CREATIVITY: 20/30
AESTHETICS: 20/20
TOTAL SCORE: 67/100

This level is very easy on the eyes, make no mistake. The palettes are pleasing, the terrain well constructed, and the backgrounds tastefully done--the simplified layer 3 variant of the SMW cave BG actually ends up looking significantly better than the original. The bubbles are also quite well done, and their variety in shape and size as well as their arrangement adds a certain naturalness that might have been missing with a less skilful constellation. Overall a pleasant and soothing atmosphere which makes this environment a compelling one to explore.

As for the actual activities of our exploration--it must be said, the first half of the level is done fairly well. The water bubbles, at least, are handled well; I'm less certain about the poison ones, though, as the insta-death nature makes them perhaps a bit too punishing an obstacle. The second half gets significantly harder, and not really for the best reasons; the 32-tile-high bubbles are hard to stay in once the layer 2 scroll starts, and the only powerup besides the one right after the midpoint is too dangerous to get to make it worth it. The dragon coins are also perhaps a bit excessively elaborate.

+ Looks lovely
+ Starts off good
- Smaller bubbles play poorly with the scroll
- Powerups and less instant death would be nice.

Other: The more I listen to the music track here, the more it sounds like a mellow remix of "Mr. Roboto".

[Implo]

I suspect that author of first level was testing second half and just forgot to move starting point all way to the beginning. But it's easy to fix. Just move starting point all way left in Lunar Magic. And that's what I did to play this level properly.

[Daizo]

Funny story about Falconpunch's entry, for when the "Top 60" collab was being planned, people were jokingly asking for a "Top 60%" Collab instead just to bother FP since 60% of all the entries would include 57 levels which would skip out his entry. The more he complained, the more people asked for "Top 60%".

Kind of mean spirited, but a fun fact is a fun fact.

[Nimono]

"If you had a better music choice, I would have liked your aesthetics better."

This comment from lolyoshi is why some people always had issues with allowing custom music in this contest. Everyone keeps saying "We're bored of just vanilla SMW on repeat/it's so unfitting for some ideas" and "well we ignore it in rating, so it won't affect your score", but this comment proves it DOES. I kinda hated that. I'd always kinda felt iffy about allowing custom music in vanilla for this reason- we can pretend it doesn't affect the level all we want, but fact of the matter is that it's a major part of the aesthetics, and a bad song ruins the aesthetic value.

In the end, I don't know what should or COULD be done about it (or if it ever WAS dealt with- I don't recall!)- NO ONE would approve of just cutting it down to what's allowed solely in Lunar Magic due to making a lot of level types have unfitting music, and so many people are sick of the vanilla music that depending on judge, it's entirely possible it'd kill your aesthetic score just for that. It's that hated. An obvious solution is to have the base rom include several vanilla-sounding songs, like people created years ago for themes like ice, a second castle, etc., but even that still doesn't hit every possible level theme people would want, and it'd be way too easy to not have something fitting, so it'd rightly be considered stifling, instantly denying those ideas.

It's an annoying situation, in my opinion.

[Ashan]

I tried throwing the saws and neckbeards into an online Mario Paint composer. Issue is I don't really know what is expected for note lengths, or maybe if those 2 things are supposed to be different instruments? So I kinda just threw them all in as they're placed with no regards for timing.
https://danielx.net/composer/#api-tlfM3 ... AdArnWSRII

I did the same things with the coins. Not sure if they're supposed to be music notes either? Maybe goes along with the other melody but again I don't know the timing so I just did it as a separate thing
https://danielx.net/composer/#api-PlDQX ... IyQH1cUySo

[Ashan]

Oh and now that I continued on with the video I see that's not the only music staff in the level. Well, that's the first one, anyway

[10204307]

I don't think there's a problem with music affecting aesthetic score. Every aspect of the judging process is subjective, to some degree- obviously there are things that nearly everyone agrees on as being bad, such as egregious cutoff or eye-searing palettes, but even then, it's still up to each individual judge to evaluate a level based on their own personal feelings and experiences. The music a level uses can drastically impact the player's experience, sometimes in relation to the atmosphere of the level, or just in terms of whether or not it's pleasant to listen to repeatedly. A good song can make a hard level feel exciting to play, while a bad song can make it feel like a slog. I can say with conviction that the regular vanilla music would severely detract from the atmosphere these level designers are trying to create.

While it's true that custom music technically deviates from the "vanilla" part of the contest, I'd argue that at its core, the real purpose of the VLDC is to show off the versatility of Super Mario World. As we have seen thus far, there are many wonderful environments that can be created just by mixing and matching the graphics already present within the original game, and on top of that, SMW's suite of objects and sprites can be used to create a number of fun and interesting platforming challenges. Unfortunately, its music is the one exception to this, being completely immutable without the use of tools other than Lunar Magic. Because the original game only has a limited number of environments, the selection of music is also extremely limited. There is no song in the original Super Mario World that can fully capture the feeling of a beautiful cave full of floating water bubbles, or a haunted carnival funhouse, or even something as basic as a desert.

Thus, it makes sense to allow custom music as a concession to the fact that the aesthetic possibilities of what we consider "vanilla Super Mario World" only extend as far as the graphics are concerned. It's not vanilla, true, but it allows for level designers to add a final coat of polish to their creation and really nail down the aesthetic they have chosen. Beyond that, because it is only natural for music to affect the experience of playing a level, it seems reasonable to expect that some judges might consider it when rating a level, especially since in most cases the music only really stands out if it is either egregiously bad or extremely good.

That being said, I don't really think that the music in Falconpunch's level was particularly bad or even notable in any regard.

ALSO:

Other: The more I listen to the music track here, the more it sounds like a mellow remix of "Mr. Roboto".

I am relieved to know that I was not the only one thinking "domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" the entire time during Glittering Grotto. Once again Rameau's Nephew really hits the pulse of the people.

[Nimono]

I don't think there's a problem with music affecting aesthetic score. Every aspect of the judging process is subjective, to some degree- obviously there are things that nearly everyone agrees on as being bad, such as egregious cutoff or eye-searing palettes, but even then, it's still up to each individual judge to evaluate a level based on their own personal feelings and experiences. The music a level uses can drastically impact the player's experience, sometimes in relation to the atmosphere of the level, or just in terms of whether or not it's pleasant to listen to repeatedly. A good song can make a hard level feel exciting to play, while a bad song can make it feel like a slog. I can say with conviction that the regular vanilla music would severely detract from the atmosphere these level designers are trying to create.

While it's true that custom music technically deviates from the "vanilla" part of the contest, I'd argue that at its core, the real purpose of the VLDC is to show off the versatility of Super Mario World. As we have seen thus far, there are many wonderful environments that can be created just by mixing and matching the graphics already present within the original game, and on top of that, SMW's suite of objects and sprites can be used to create a number of fun and interesting platforming challenges. Unfortunately, its music is the one exception to this, being completely immutable without the use of tools other than Lunar Magic. Because the original game only has a limited number of environments, the selection of music is also extremely limited. There is no song in the original Super Mario World that can fully capture the feeling of a beautiful cave full of floating water bubbles, or a haunted carnival funhouse, or even something as basic as a desert.

Thus, it makes sense to allow custom music as a concession to the fact that the aesthetic possibilities of what we consider "vanilla Super Mario World" only extend as far as the graphics are concerned. It's not vanilla, true, but it allows for level designers to add a final coat of polish to their creation and really nail down the aesthetic they have chosen. Beyond that, because it is only natural for music to affect the experience of playing a level, it seems reasonable to expect that some judges might consider it when rating a level, especially since in most cases the music only really stands out if it is either egregiously bad or extremely good.

That being said, I don't really think that the music in Falconpunch's level was particularly bad or even notable in any regard.

This is a fair assessment! I don't disagree that music choice should affect the score- my issue is more that we disallow custom graphics because the contest has always been about what's possible through Lunar Magic alone, and had been stated multiple times. The first few VLDCs after custom music became more widespread didn't allow it, under the logic that it was custom and custom graphics were disallowed, but eventually it was allowed under the argument of "it doesn't affect score, and just offers variety from the monotony of vanilla SMW music that everyone's sick of". The problem is...it DOES affect the score. So I find myself conflicted on it. On the one hand, it definitely helps different level types work better- that airship level a few vids ago probably would've felt way worse had it been forced to use the SMW Castle theme. On the other, I absolutely feel like given it so obviously affects how judges will score a level, it goes against the intent of VLDC, which is to create a level using only what's allowed by Lunar Magic. I mean, you have to admit- if "better music" can make a level have a higher score, why do we not allow "better graphics" as well? It has nothing to do with the GAMEPLAY, but there's no question it has something to do with the aesthetics, yet that's not allowed. (Counter-argument: We've seen time and time again that you can use SMW's base graphics creatively to make something that looks absolutely spectacular, thus custom graphics just aren't needed even if that'd make these ideas "easier", whereas you can't actually change up any of the music through Lunar Magic- nothing similar to mixing 8x8 tiles together into a new whole.)

It's a really hard line to draw, and I don't know what side to stand on at all!

[BobisOnlyBob]

Other: The more I listen to the music track here, the more it sounds like a mellow remix of "Mr. Roboto".

I am relieved to know that I was not the only one thinking "domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" the entire time during Glittering Grotto. Once again Rameau's Nephew really hits the pulse of the people.

domo arigato, glittering grotto

[Daizo]

I do still prefer having custom music over vanilla music personally, but like even then you can have a bad clashy musical choice with vanilla.
Who puts the water theme in a castle setting, for instance?

[Sugar]

57th: Afterburner Castle by RanAS

Koopster
DESIGN: 26/50
CREATIVITY: 21/30
AESTHETICS: 11/20
TOTAL SCORE: 58/100

The execution of this level was a little weird. Level has a rather confusing layout, especially in the second half. Getting the silver P-switch is more risky (cause whether the lava is coming from above or below actually matters, unlike in most of the level) but it's an extremely short detour compared to getting the blue one. I don't think I understand that part in the first half where you throw the shell at some turn blocks, either. I think a gimmick like this should've been used in a simpler, more linear level where you just need to press the switches constantly, getting the player confused and in their toes at the same time is not a very good idea! Felt pretty short, too.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 31/50
CREATIVITY: 20/30
AESTHETICS: 12/20
TOTAL SCORE: 63/100

Very interesting idea. Although I still like it in the end, I wish it eased you more into
it, since it's rather difficult. Also the lava could be annoying because it hides where you might want
to go.

Noivern
DESIGN: 22/50
CREATIVITY: 20/30
AESTHETICS: 11/20
TOTAL SCORE: 53/100

Interesting idea, but it doesn't do anything to fix the inherent flaw of level layer 2 that scrolls 1 to 1 with Mario: it doesn't scroll evenly. I can jump and the lava will scroll up in the middle of the jump but it won't scroll back down while I fall. This lead to a ton of frustrating deaths. It's also annoying that the first powerup can be a trap if the bottom lava isn't scrolled down enough, especially considering a first time player might not even know the lava is there at that point.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 38/50
CREATIVITY: 21/30
AESTHETICS: 16/20
TOTAL SCORE: 75/100

Love the execution of the lava scrolling here. The On/Off block locations are very intuitive, and it's clear a lot of thought went into this. I almost wish it was longer because I think you could have milked this gimmick even more and come up with something even better, but a strong effort nonetheless.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 22/50
CREATIVITY: 19/30
AESTHETICS: 10/20
TOTAL SCORE: 51/100

This is certainly an original use of the On/Off rising/falling layer 2 effect, yet I'm not entirely sure it's a -good- use. In practice, there's a lot of waiting around the lava to get close enough to you in the right direction that you can hit the switch in such a way as to have maximum time to move on to the next phase. The level is also weirdly stingy with powerups, making simple mushrooms typically require a greater detour (and additional switch hitting cycles and subsequent standing around) than the dragon coins. Curiously, the one powerup that -doesn't- require you to go significantly out of your way (or have the yellow switch) is the block yielding the guaranteed feather; I think the idea was that you'd need to hurry and bring the throw block down to the P-switch ledge before it poofs out of existence, but you can either bring the Koopa shell down from about, or simply P on it after you've released the switch from its own block.

As for the second half, there's basically nothing at all to it if you're not concerned with getting the dragon coins (and randomly choose the silver path). And the blue bath seems a rather elaborate detour simply for the coins' sake. The castle sinking into the ground at the end is super-cool, though.

+ Original juxtaposition of elements
+ Neat conclusion
- Lots of waiting (and possibly repetition) in practice, stingy with powerups
- Second half seems a bit phoned in.

Other: After the Burner did a crappy cover of Der Kommisar, let's be honest.

57th: Mars Colonization by msi810

Koopster
DESIGN: 33/50
CREATIVITY: 24/30
AESTHETICS: 12/20
TOTAL SCORE: 69/100

A lot of this level is quite clever and tactical and I like that, but it has its issues. Some specific setups all around the level are much more finicky and precision demanding than their neighbors. The worst is probably the bit where you have to wait for the platform to come down while managing falling platforms, it's really very easy to screw up there. Some random setups also have very little reaction time and kinda misleading coin guides (the one right before the midpoint is one example, I was also misleaded by a part near the end where you're... supposed to go under a thwomp and then spin jump back on it? I thought I had to fall back on the platform). I'd say the level develops the gimmicks pretty smoothly but not the difficulty of the setups, if you know what I mean. Also I think it's very long and kinda spread out. You could've easily chopped some of the more uninteresting parts and made it a single midpoint level instead. It looks... just alright, I have a lot to nitpick about here and there, especially with some of your tile choices (1F0 tiles, the misaligned "1F0 line guide", weird colored coins). Also the moon is inaccurate, Mars has two potato moons...

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 32/50
CREATIVITY: 18/30
AESTHETICS: 12/20
TOTAL SCORE: 62/100

The level is fun as it is. I think it needed a little more polish on conveyance since some
obstacles were a little awkward and confusing. Also, I feel it relied too much on it's sole gimmick.

Noivern
DESIGN: 29/50
CREATIVITY: 17/30
AESTHETICS: 11/20
TOTAL SCORE: 57/100

This went on for a tad too long in my opinion. There are a few gotchas with the sprite placement, particularly at the beginning of the level right after the first thwomp, where you can easily get hit by the sparky that blends into the orange background. Actually everything in the first section is a dull orange. There needs to be more contrast, make the dirt red or change the "yellow" in the gradient to an actual yellow. How are you supposed to get the question blocks with no ground underneath them?

The shift to a more fast-paced, platform-oriented design in the second and third sections are welcome, though in the third section the jumps get *too* precise. The palette change to sunset is nice, but considering the top color is nearly solid black, it could be improved with some stars. The fact that the brown coins mean you have to duck isn't expressed adequately enough in their bonus area, which by itself wouldn't have been too bad, but you also used it in a one-off section near the end of the main level. Do you expect the players to learn new level gimmicks through optional side areas?

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 30/50
CREATIVITY: 18/30
AESTHETICS: 13/20
TOTAL SCORE: 61/100

I like a lot of the ideas presented in theory, but the execution could have definitely been better. Most of the design problems I have with this level are with the Thwomps; it's one thing to use them as spinjump targets, which can be done well, but when having to make them fall in the first place, consecutively, it's almost never a fun mechanic, especially with other hazards involved (the 3 Thwomps with the saw overhead is the most notable example of this). When combined with the falling platforms there is often not enough or barely enough time to react. The section right before the first midpoint is very awkward to get through as well. For the most part otherwise though the platforming is creative and enjoyable. Some of the jumps in the second half are a bit frustrating but not terribly so. Standard stuff æsthetically; I'm not sure exactly what the white thing on layer 3 is supposed to be, but it's a bit distracting.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 24/50
CREATIVITY: 16/30
AESTHETICS: 11/20
TOTAL SCORE: 51/100

This starts out as a fairly solid 1F0 antics level, with lots of Thwomp manipulation, saw dodging, and some platform escapes thrown in later on for good measure. After the second midpoint, however, it ups the ante significantly--though not necessarily to the level's benefit. The level's final stretch is the longest of them all--perhaps too long compared to the others, whereas the middle section is quite short, which suggests the 1-up checkpoint could have been moved a bit further forward--and marks a significant difficulty rise, as well as a fundamental change in the nature of the obstacles. Thanks to the switch between standard line guides and 1F0, the platforms here move along at a fast, yet uneven pace, which both demands sudden reactions, yet breaks up the consistent rhythm of those reactions. At the same time, the type of jump which needs to be performed--spin jump or regular; high, low, or long; straight, curved or doubling back--is highly variable. As such, the player is virtually guaranteed to screw up on most new obstacles until they learn by dying, and repeat this process until developing the sufficient muscle memory to pass. Once this is done, the victory feels hollow, less a matter of skill than repeating the actions again and again until they become etched into one's short-term memory. The end result is a level which starts out reasonably promising, but unfortunately wears out its welcome in the final third.

Æsthetically, the level is simple yet effective, especially in the first area. The palette indeed looks suitably Martian, and the doodly, Yoshi's Island-style sun is a nice touch (the apparent trees on the mountains seem a strange detail, though). While the night palette itself looks good, and makes a strong contrast with the first section, I think it may have been a mistake to make the larger part of the level (and by far the part the player is likely to spend more time in) have this color, because, as nice as it is, it lacks the icon alienness of the day palette, and could just as easily have been a desert on earth. It's a suitable way to end the journey, to be certain, but it should probably be used more sparingly for better effect.

+ Decent start
+ Nice palettes, especially in the first section
- Final section too long/checkpoints imbalanced
- Too trial-and-error/be psychic based towards the end.

Other: Where are the bee-shooting guns?

[Kilgamayan]

[lone pillar]

https://twitter.com/GemaYue/status/1249040234978742273

[kitikami]

It's a nice coincidence that 57th place is shared by an author and level name that combine to make a thing, and it's even a gaming-relevant thing.

That was some impressive reflexive playing from raocow on the last section of Mars Colonization.

[Sugar]

55th: Spooky Stronghold by Erik (Erik557)

Koopster
DESIGN: 28/50
CREATIVITY: 22/30
AESTHETICS: 14/20
TOTAL SCORE: 64/100

There's nice ideas and mixing of elements here, but the execution leaves way too much to be desired. The obstacle design is very simple, often not very thoughtful, and it wastes much of the potential of the elements you used. The usage of mushroom scales in the second half is barely added by the layer 2 other than you have to wait for a bit to things to line up. The extra rooms feel very incomplete and barely take their ideas anywhere, and they have next to no correlation to what's done in the main level.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 19/50
CREATIVITY: 12/30
AESTHETICS: 9/20
TOTAL SCORE: 40/100

I didn't enjoy this one too much. The level felt uninspired and dull, the platforming wasn't that
satisfying, and the visuals weren't really appealing (all the colors don't go well together). Overall,
forgettable?

Noivern
DESIGN: 26/50
CREATIVITY: 20/30
AESTHETICS: 13/20
TOTAL SCORE: 59/100

Please don't require the player to risk getting hurt to get powerups, especially the first powerup block in the level and after the midpoint. Acquiring standard powers should not be inherently risky, and making it so discourages players from going after them.

The level's difficulty starts off strong and doesn't really let up or get much more difficult; the design just really changes and stays about the same difficulty. The bonus areas are the best part of the level and I wish they could have been explored more. The 1up checkpoint is not really necessary because the goal is only a few screens away at that point. By the way, you can slidekill grinders and statue fireballs.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 38/50
CREATIVITY: 25/30
AESTHETICS: 18/20
TOTAL SCORE: 81/100

This is one of the best actual applications of dragon coins I've seen in this contest. Every side room is wonderfully crafted, and the various uses of layer 2 are awesome; I love you made them all distinct while still keeping a strong theme and connection between them. They are the real highlight of this level, and even outside of that the use of the various platform sprites is superb and makes the whole experience fantastic.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 27/50
CREATIVITY: 15/30
AESTHETICS: 16/20
TOTAL SCORE: 58/100

The spookiness here is largely ornamental, and mostly forgotten about in the second half (though I do like the pumpkin and torch decorations), so in practice this is pretty much just a castle. And for the first half, it's a reasonably decent castle (though it's not entirely clear that the spikes in the first dragon coin room don't go up again, making it very easy to get trapped with no way out). The second half I'm a bit less sure of, as it mostly involves falling platforms (i.e. obstacles that commit you to one action with no turning back) combined with obstacles that kind of come at you suddenly, which pretty much guarantees a lot of deaths due to bad luck. It's also a touch odd that the level gives you a 1-up midpoint and then abruptly ends, which makes me suspect something more was intended. Curious.

+ OK castle level, especially in the first half.
- Second half kind of luck/psychic power-based

Other: Actually, the more I think about it, the more I'm of the opinion that this level is actually a theme park ride.

55th: Tower of Brass by brickartsteven

Koopster
DESIGN: 37/50
CREATIVITY: 21/30
AESTHETICS: 11/20
TOTAL SCORE: 69/100

Despite not being the most coherent and creative chunk of platforming that I've played, it was certainly a nice one. The secret exit was pretty clever because carrying an item does make climbing more tricky. The final room and how the disco makes koopas under the rope jump was really cool, but I wish that concept was taken a little further. The rest of the level is pretty fun, save from a couple of setups that were a little annoying and awkward. The disco shell zig-zags weren't pulled off very well, the first setup with that specially is really harsh on big Mario.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 42/50
CREATIVITY: 22/30
AESTHETICS: 12/20
TOTAL SCORE: 76/100

The entry is focused and has a solid progression in ideas. Those ideas in particular
are neat and are executed well too. Although there's a few setups that are a little awkward, the level
in general is fun to play and not too troublesome.

Noivern
DESIGN: 30/50
CREATIVITY: 21/30
AESTHETICS: 11/20
TOTAL SCORE: 62/100

I love the ambush koopa concept, but in order for the player to see the koopas in time they need to be moving up constantly, which is not always the case. The setups involving disco shells are really good, but one section in particular is a bit sprite spammy (you know the one). The autoscroll section at the end was also designed well, but also had tons of sprite spam and honestly could have been cut as you're already at the top of the tower and the level to that point is pretty long.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 7/50
CREATIVITY: 8/30
AESTHETICS: 14/20
TOTAL SCORE: 29/100

This level features a whole lot of...nothing. Most of the level is spent doing either repetitive, mindless tasks with little or no challenge, or nothing at all, waiting for something else to become an obstacle. You could have done a lot more with all the empty space, especially in the main line-guide section, and the whole rainbow shell gimmick does nothing for the level but add artificial length. It's inoffensive æsthetically but that's about the only good thing I can say about this one.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 28/50
CREATIVITY: 27/30
AESTHETICS: 11/20
TOTAL SCORE: 66/100

Mostly, this is a pretty solid vertical castle level. There's a few questionable elements, like all the yellow Koopa Troopas walking off ledges and in to your face when you're climbing up vines, and the "guide a flashing shell down a drain pipe while dodging stuff" gimmick seems to be used a few too many times. A few spots don't really seem to take big Mario in to account, either (drain pipe guiding section with two Hotheads, I'm looking at you). On the other hand, the majority of the obstacles are well-designed enough, and the flashing shell causing the Yellow Paratroopas to jump out at Mario was an extremely clever idea. The secret exit struck me as a bit unnecessary; I've seen more annoying gimmicks than grabbing a shell and carrying it up a bunch of vines, but I sort of feel that the level would be stronger without it.

Æsthetically, I quite like the -concept- the level is going for, with the exterior nightscape still visible from inside the tower, but the execution leaves a little to be desired. Everything looks a little low-res, and the walls look like, well, brown stone instead of brass. With a little more careful choice of objects for the FG and celestial objects, though, this could have been something really special, visually.

+ Decent core obstacles
+ Flashing shell + yellow Paratroopas is an inspired idea
- A few wonky and repetitive setups mixed in among the good
- Secret exit feels unnecessary.

Other: Brass Tower, you dour tower.

[Sugar]

54th: Bowel Relaxation by Wind Fish

Koopster
DESIGN: 30/50
CREATIVITY: 17/30
AESTHETICS: 15/20
TOTAL SCORE: 62/100

A kinda interesting level - it feels quite samey in retrospect, but the development of challenges is there - sadly, it drags. The dragon coin bonus rooms make the first half feel much, much longer than the second. In fact, you might as well just have scrapped the second half entirely, as it lasts two seconds and does nothing that hadn't been already done, it stops developing the gimmick. I think the third dragon coin is really boring to get, and the second one, although it's an interesting puzzle, can sometimes be tough to perform thanks to that spiny. The secret exit was extremely unecessary as it forces you to replay the level after collecting all the dragon coins (that can mean a second REplay). Not to mention it's really hard to find, the tip doesn't exactly spell out that it's behind a dragon coin, and not only is it behind the hardest dragon coin in the level, but it's also a P-switch door for no reason. I like the reference to your VLDC9 entry though, nice how only then I knew who made this level lol. The room doesn't add anything to the design, but it's a nice bonus.
Shoutouts to judges DeputyBS, Frost and Torchkas

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 18/50
CREATIVITY: 12/30
AESTHETICS: 11/20
TOTAL SCORE: 41/100

[03:06] Truxton_: hop over these birds
[03:06] Truxton_: like the last 5 times
Unnecessary secret exit.

Noivern
DESIGN: 35/50
CREATIVITY: 20/30
AESTHETICS: 14/20
TOTAL SCORE: 69/100

This is really neat. The ! graphics to note swoopers is a cool idea. The level gets appropriately harder as it goes on and the dragon coins are well placed, specifically the coin you have to swim under the platforms to get. A few minor nitpicks though. The hidden mushroom isn't move-through like the others, which isn't too bad in itself, but it's in an area with enemies, so the unexpected inability to move through it might cause the player to get hit. Also the last pipe out of the sewers should have been green to keep with the coloring scheme you had.

It would have been a great level without the secret exit. Everything about that exit makes the level worse. The hiding it behind a dragon coin, the fact that it's a timed p-switch door, the sudden shift to an entirely different kind of level and changes the tone to humorous for no reason. It just makes no sense.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 32/50
CREATIVITY: 21/30
AESTHETICS: 19/20
TOTAL SCORE: 72/100

This one is pretty decent. The sewer æsthetic is nailed, with excellent use of SMW's resources in that regard. The overall concept and design is simple but effective, a bit repetitive but not to the point of becoming obnoxious. The "credits room" is a bit out of place, especially considering it leads to an effortless goal, though it does make the secret exit a bit less obnoxious; it would have made more sense to scrap that area entirely and preferably have the message box at the start of the stage rather than the end. Some of the invisible coin block placements felt a bit random, and the P-switch segment really didn't need to be there, but overall it achieved what it set out to do, and was enjoyable to play through.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 30/50
CREATIVITY: 17/30
AESTHETICS: 14/20
TOTAL SCORE: 61/100

A low-key unorthodox level. I'm not entirely sure why the shellless Koopas were graphic-swapped for Buzzy Beetles, as all this really provides is an initial shock when you jump on one and it bursts in to a splash of glitch. The heavy use of Swooper walls seems like it could be interesting at first, but they're all kinda of used somewhat similarly, and the end effect is essentially just to force the player to slow down and double back every few steps, interrupting the flow of the level.

The midpoint is a bit lopsided, which, combined with the powerup stinginess (the only mushroom after the early screens is very easy to miss), makes the first half drag a bit. The secret exit also feels a bit perfunctory--the dragon coin idea is potentially interesting, but only the second one provides much of an interesting puzzle, and the path itself feels sort of tacked on.

The level looks reasonably decent, and there are some nice touches with the water and the like, but it probably would have benefited from using a different palette for the main terrain other than the default ghost house one. A wooden sewer would not be the soundest of constructions, I suspect.

+ Some offbeat concepts and ideas
+ Decent appearance aside from the brown palette
- Swooper walls unexcitingly implemented
- First half drags somewhat

Other: This level was classier than I was expecting, considering the title.

53rd: Rhino's Bubbles by RudeGuy (Christian07)

Koopster
DESIGN: 20/50
CREATIVITY: 19/30
AESTHETICS: 13/20
TOTAL SCORE: 52/100

I don't think you fully grasped the potential of the dino torches. The hardest setups you made with them are pretty early on - they can throw you off if you bump on them as you step on a falling platform, which I even found to be somewhat unpredictable and unfair. In contrast, they almost feel obsolete in other setups. The second half of the level takes a turn by focusing more on bubbles. Sadly, bubble navigation can be wonky and especially having to deal with platforms while swimming felt quite obnoxious. I really really really don't like the room with the fourth dragon coin. Aside from not being extremely good at development of difficulty and gimmicks, it's a solid level, but I really didn't think it was fun to play.

lolyoshi
DESIGN: 39/50
CREATIVITY: 24/30
AESTHETICS: 14/20
TOTAL SCORE: 76/100

I like what I played here, I would have probably enjoyed it more if it was less tight, but
I genuinely think this was a creative and interesting entry. Just needed a little bit more polish on
certain things.

Noivern
DESIGN: 22/50
CREATIVITY: 17/30
AESTHETICS: 14/20
TOTAL SCORE: 53/100

For some reason, you decided to use every single possible combination of the individual level elements as you could. and as a result the level is twice as long as it needs to be. First on the chopping block should have been most of the second half, which is mostly frustrating design. Then all sections that use both water and rotating platforms, a combination that is incredibly janky and doesn't work well. The graphics and palettes look great, but this level really needed custom music.

Sinc-X
DESIGN: 26/50
CREATIVITY: 19/30
AESTHETICS: 14/20
TOTAL SCORE: 59/100

The combination of the Dino Rhinos and Dino-Torches with the bubbles is executed well, and is pretty enjoyable until the level starts to get a bit too cluttered with spikes, circling platforms and other enemies. It starts to become mildly distracting and a bit frustrating, and less enjoyable overall throughout the latter half of the level--those platforms make navigating the bubbles much more of an unnecessary hassle. There's nothing special about the æsthetics, but they're not offensive in any way.

Rameau's Nephew
DESIGN: 27/50
CREATIVITY: 23/30
AESTHETICS: 16/20
TOTAL SCORE: 66/100

This is a good concept unfortunately brought down by both halves of the level being about twice as long as they need to be and ultimately wearing out their welcome. The first section starts off quite nice--the æsthetics are simple yet pleasing, and the theme unpretentious yet solid. Dino Rhinos/torches tend to be a lesser-used element due to their graphical greediness, yet they're creatively employed here, with a careful view to their unique qualities, and their interaction with the water bubbles is interesting as well. On the other hand, I feel as though it's a bit difficult to avoid getting hit in the area after the bonus room (especially if you don't know what's coming), and another powerup in the later part of the stage wouldn't have hurt. Nor would a midpoint, for that matter, as this section could have likely served as the entire stage in itself, and the level may have benefited from this.

As for the second half...on the whole, this feels a little too similar to the first section, and the one element it has--namely the rotating tri-platform, feels interesting at first, but gets repetitive and tedious after a few iterations. The final corridor, especially, feels like an unfun slog, a powerup shortage in the latter part again enhancing this feeling, and making ever small mistake seem like a massive punishment. This philosophy is reflected in the bonus room in this half, forcing the player to go through the same perilous setup -twice for naught but a dragon coin--no powerups, nothing. All in all it's a good concept and the realization thereof starts out good as well, but the level just doesn't know when to stop, to its ultimate detriment.

+ Good use of rhinos
+ Good use of bubbles
- Both halves go on far too long
- Second half and especially final corridor tedious and not very enjoyable.

Other: This level has some interesting shades of SMB1 and SMB3 in that fireballs can greatly change your experience (without breaking the level), making them a) more relevant than usual in SMW and b) a good reward for making it past certain obstacles without getting hit.

[strongbadman]

raocow's spng at the start of the second level sounded a lot like Together Forever by Rick Astley.

[Ashan]

You could have titled the video after the hill with a nose! I think he snuck under your radar

[raocow]

:O