Episode 1 Level Review Thread

[SAJewers]

A Quick look back a some of these reviews gives the following insight:

- There are too many reviews that are IMO too short to be any helpful, like this one for Triforce Trials:

It is a pretty decent level approved -8flight

-There seem to be a number of reviews marked "Approve" when they probably should be marked "Approved with Changes", for example, this review for Sloppy Sands:

I approve. The normal exit is easy, but a little long. The secret exit is hard and long as well. There are a lot of tight swims near harmful things. Also there's one blue fish below blue coins. It is quite difficult to get past that fish without taking a hit while you're just big. There's also a part in the normal level that has a lot of fish generators near the end that is difficult to get past. Also the tight swim with the jellyfish in the cave can be problematic, especially if the player is big. There are tricks to the other fish generators. It's still a good level and provides a nice challange.

-Lv27MarkerMMan

- There needs to be a "meh" bin for levels that aren't all that great, but also aren't bad enough to warrant a rejection. That, or an expansion or what's grounds for rejection to include bland levels.

[Kil]

It's hilarious watching you guys try to criticize levels while not saying anything negative ever.

By the way if lunadll isn't working for that guy, raocow and other guys are going to have the same problem. The compile options need to be fiddled with so mscvp110.dll isn't required, or that dll needs to be included in the dev kit.

[SAJewers]

It's hilarious watching you guys try to criticize levels while not saying anything negative ever.

By the way if lunadll isn't working for that guy, raocow and other guys are going to have the same problem. The compile options need to be fiddled with so mscvp110.dll isn't required, or that dll needs to be included in the dev kit.

soeone get ma e download link to msvcp110.dll, otherwise I'm just gonna have to include the VS2012 redist and tell people to install that.

[Maiku Wotaharu]

It's hilarious watching you guys try to criticize levels while not saying anything negative ever.

By the way if lunadll isn't working for that guy, raocow and other guys are going to have the same problem. The compile options need to be fiddled with so mscvp110.dll isn't required, or that dll needs to be included in the dev kit.

soeone get ma e download link to msvcp110.dll, otherwise I'm just gonna have to include the VS2012 redist and tell people to install that.

Or perhaps link to this?

[Kil]

Yeah but it's a pain having to install that. And all it does afaik is dump some dlls into your system32 folder. Including the dll in the same folder as asmbxt.exe would have the same effect and not require installing stuff.

[SAJewers]

Hence why I'm asking someone get me a link, as I couldn't find one in a quick google search.

As well, I think I might stream in 30-45 minutes, and go back through some levels.

[Diggertron]

Reading Isrieri's review for my level, I'm glad they have the same complaints for it than I do, looking back at it.

Spoiler just in case

I'm tempted to remove the whole of the outside section and focus on the actual "shelter", make it better and longer since now it's set as being in a snowy place, I don't need to make the level justify the name. It's a shame i'd miss out on the whole "Trees growing on wooden blocks" joke, but that's not the level, the level is.

Can anyone that's played my level give me an idea of if this is a good idea?

[Kil]

Hence why I'm asking someone get me a link, as I couldn't find one in a quick google search.

As well, I think I might stream in 30-45 minutes, and go back through some levels.

Someone should have a copy in their C:/windows/system32 folder. I don't have it for some reason.

[SAJewers]

Ah, I found it. Anyone with LunaDLL issues, try putting this in the same folder as A2MBXT.exe: http://www.mediafire.com/download/ptu8v ... vcp110.dll

[SAJewers]

OK, I'm going live at http://www.twitch.tv/sajewers in about 10 minutes to run through some levels. Join the IRC if you want to chat.

[cheez8]

It's hilarious watching you guys try to criticize levels while not saying anything negative ever.

Listen to this dude!

I know I'm definitely going to have the same problem, but I do that with every game I play, so most (but definitely not all) of my failings here are probably going to be from lower standards in general. I do try to crack down when I'm reviewing, at least, and that's really something all the reviewers ought to be doing!

otherwise we'll have sections that just don't work well, like the piranha plant hallway in northern monastery library land that I never actually complained about because I was able to find some excuse as to why I didn't have to

[SAJewers]

OK, I went and streamed all the levels in Worlds 1-3. Few notes I have for some levels:

Nice and Easy - should not be in World 1
Dense Jangle - Remove Offscreen exit in Section 3. Make secret much more obvious.
Wood Zone - Feel way too long, and really random. Kinda Boring
Another Castle - Agree that Boss Stage 3 is too much
Omlet Jungle - Meh
Canopy Journey - It felt like you could just skip section and the player wouldn't miss much.
Plant Zone - Do like Plants that do not come out of pipes. 2nd half felt like padding the level, and you culd've ended it right at the pipe. Can skip half the level with blue yoshi
Koopa Time - Remove Bulet Bills right by first Raocoin, remove all bats. Maybe remove bananasnakes?
Edge of The Night - Blocks should extend down for pits. Are you expected to bring a Yoshi/boot in from another level?
Poision Tree - Not a fan of The water graphics replacing lava. Donut jump section should be made easier. Plants are OK as you can get a fire plant from Farnia Station
Triforce Trials - Didn't seem bad at all. However, I would add leeks after each of the 3 sections to act as midpoints (like the final level), then move the midpoint to the egg of Bob room.
GTA - Remove the Goopas kicking shells, maybe the lovefrog in the Parking Area. Move the midpoint.
Spooky Surprise Ghost House - Does not belong in World 2. Remove last Love Frog in Section 3. Boss seems unnecessary.
Sheath Partakes - Fix Snifit Ammo, Fix door in Boss. Maybe Move the door to boss to the other end of the room?
Sloppy Sands - cut it down or move the warps so the bonus areas take you further in the level'
Sandy Sands - Secret Exit might be too hard to find, Quicksand block area maybe a bit confusing. Things don't extend down offscreen
Cinder Canyon - Mushrooms should not move. Few platforms that should not move
Monty Mole - You should be able to take the red boot out

[Unaniem]

Canopy Journey - It felt like you could just skip section and the player wouldn't miss much.

Which section exactly?

[SAJewers]

Section 3. Looking back, there are a few levels that feel like they have extra sections just to pad it out.

[Willhart]

OK, I'm going live at http://www.twitch.tv/sajewers in about 10 minutes to run through some levels. Join the IRC if you want to chat.

Is it possible to watch this stream somewhere later?

[SAJewers]

Unfortunately not, I forgot to enable recordings. I've fixed that for next time though.

[ztarwuff]

Sorry, I've just picked up on something.

Out of Season: You know those crystal pokey things? I think the graphic needs to be changed so that the top of each unit is spikey. In some levels, you can land on them safely. Not so in this one. I don't think it's fair for the player to find out by trial and error. If you change it so that its spikey on top, that should hopefully solve the problem.

[SAJewers]

OK, did all the levels in world 4 and 5 (except Town 5, due to time). Notes I wrote down:

Intro4 - Missing period on one of the statues

Winter City - Goopa is no longer Blue

Another Screen - Too easy to kill yourself i the Sticky Room. Do not like the Boss.

Soggy Steelworks - Agree with Water/swim thing. Outside area seems unnecessary. Boss can be cheesed with Sheath.

Swimming in the Rain - You can glitch into the ground by the Fire Pot

Rainy Day - Boss is undoable as Sheath? Reduce the hits on the Boss

Town4 - Intro 4 needs it's own leek, like the other towns. AUS Graphic needs to be fixed

Out of Season - remove secret exit in favour of something else

Shelter in the Snow - Move the Midpoint before the Boss

Sturgyman's level - You can swim offscreen in certain parts and not get killed

Science Fight - Too hard

Crazed Circuity - You can still climb on invisible nets

Lightning in a Box - The second section is terrible. You're asking for too many one-tile jumps, and you're using a layer scroll. It felt like I was fighting the controls trying to stay on. Use Autoscroll for stuff like that, there is no reason not to.

Fun Fungus - Area after Lakitus seem spammy. Some jumps seem harder as demo.

[GenesisJames]

The problem about approving levels for collaborations like these are people's tastes in levels. For example, one reviewer didn't like my very expansive, "go anywhere" type of level because they don't like those kinds of levels. Another reviewer loved that aspect of my level.

Other people may have different skill levels, as well. As long as it's not cheap, like blind jumps, or spammy like LOVE FROGS EVERYWHERE HEYHEYHEY, it's hard to consider what's to hard or not if some people are better at platformers than others. My "go anywhere" level is pretty damn easy in my opinion, and it's short enough to require only two power-ups. One reviewer thought two wasn't enough.

That's why I feel like one reviewer shouldn't be able to be a main judge on what gets scrapped and what doesn't. Perhaps have a bunch of people with different skill levels play to determine where the level is placed in the game? And if the best of the best can't beat it or feel that it's too hard, THEN the level maker should consider changing some aspects of his/her level.

I dunno, man. Collaborations are hard.

[Septentrion Pleiades]

Science Fight - Too hard

You flailed randomly at the enemy an gave up after 5 tries. It's quite some to die a small amount of time on the shortest of levels and declare "too hard"

You're supposed to wait for the right moment to attack. Also, I put a power up in the most recent version.

Also, Are we just going to DLL filter for the levels that don't work with Sheath?

[Axon]

Use Autoscroll for stuff like that, there is no reason not to.

Is there really a way to make autoscroll start and stop at any time I want?
Otherwise I was already considering replacing some of the blocks by two-blocks platforms.

[Isrieri]

Use Autoscroll for stuff like that, there is no reason not to.

Is there really a way to make autoscroll start and stop at any time I want?
Otherwise I was already considering replacing some of the blocks by two-blocks platforms.

Unless Luna.dll can make something happen, Autoscroll only works for Section 1.

[SAJewers]

Science Fight - Too hard

You flailed randomly at the enemy an gave up after 5 tries. It's quite some to die a small amount of time on the shortest of levels and declare "too hard"

You're supposed to wait for the right moment to attack. Also, I put a power up in the most recent version.

Also, Are we just going to DLL filter for the levels that don't work with Sheath?

Like that's very clear. Anyway, Ive gave it another 5 minutes (using the link here), and I still don't like it. It's by fear the least fun I've had.

EDIT: If anyone else has played this, please, give your thoughts on it.

Use Autoscroll for stuff like that, there is no reason not to.

Is there really a way to make autoscroll start and stop at any time I want?
Otherwise I was already considering replacing some of the blocks by two-blocks platforms.

Autoscroll section in the Events window should be want you want. Note however, the autoscroll section has to be in section 1. Now that I think of it, I'm not even sure SMBX will let you have an autoscroll midway through a level.

[Septentrion Pleiades]

Like that's very clear. Anyway, Ive gave it another 5 minutes (using the link here), and I still don't like it. It's by fear the least fun I've had

Five minutes isn't a long time to spend on a boss, and you'll never beat it without observing it. It something called a boss pattern.
There's are harder boss about two levels later, with a tedious room before. It not out of place with the rest of the game in terms of difficulty.
Also, I posted the new version in the post levels thread.

[SAJewers]

Well, someone else can chime in.