A2MBXT beta testing

[ztarwuff]

If I can get people from other forums to test the game, should I?

[SAJewers]

I'd prefer keeping the testing right now in-house, but if they really want to, I guess they could.

Also, Is anyone keeping the google doc up to date? It's hard for me to read this thread and know what's been fixed and what hasn't.

[sedron]

I hope these little groups of typos/glitches I'm finding are useful. Anyways, here's more.

* The Descent has a few messages to fix. During the intro to the "boss," battle, the word "cyclopic," should be "cycloptic," I think. (Not too sure on that one.) "But enough laughing, you probably wonder why I've send all the way down here," is a bit weird from a verb-tense standpoint, and should be "But enough laughing, you're probably wondering why I've sent you all the way down here." "Minions for whom he prayed for them to return safely..." is also kind of bizarre. "Minions for whom he prayed would return safely..." makes more sense.
* Qraestolia Caverns has one floating spider web, but I can't remember where, so that's not a terribly helpful tip. As for the level itself, maybe I'm just no good at exploration-style stuff but I found it near impossible to find either leek. I still don't know where the key is for the second one, and I ended up just cheat-spawning one. Some kind of hint for either one could go a long way.
* Navel of the Universe has two issues worth looking into. The most important one is in the room with the secret exit key. Actually getting the key through the one-space high gap while powered-up is rough, and you can easily glitch yourself onto the wrong side of the house and get stuck. The gap just needs to be slightly taller. I also found the use of background and block pillars confusing, and it led to at least one death on my end.
* The last NPC you can talk to in Party Platform DODGE! uses the word "streach," which should be "stretch."
* In Peculiar Night, the little speech at the end contains the phrase "... who sometimes enjoy to confuse mortal beings." Grammar-wise this is weird, and should be "who sometimes enjoy confusing mortal beings."
* Blue Surfer has a few issues. First, do we care that it just supplies Hammer Suits super-easily? I had one that lasted me most of World 8. Some of the submarines in the first half are really glitchy, with cut-off parts appearing in mid-air. They also sometimes just don't come up for a while. Quite a few things in the second half can kill you if you don't know they're coming, like the Thwomps and Saws.
* It's possible and easy to fall off the platform as you collect the exit in Twinkle Tower, forcing you to replay from the midpoint. It's not a terribly hard level, but there's no reason we can't make that platform bigger.
* Twinkle Tower and Peculiar Night both seem to lead nowhere on the overworld, unless there was an update I missed.
* Spooky Surprise Ghost House is weird. If you know it's coming, you can run fast enough as you hit a block at the beginning to activate the trap without falling in. If you exit off the side of the level, it opens up the next level on the overworld. Also, the fish stealth section is kind of awful. It's way more demanding than anything up to that point, and it's really unclear how you're supposed to get around it (especially with the risk of blue coins warping you into their line of sight anyway,) and you only get one chance at it. It's not even the first thing in the level.

I also went ahead and made an updated version of my level, with the boss heavily toned down in terms of stupid design. If there's somewhere else I'm supposed to post it just let me know and I'll put it there.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/669 ... curity.zip

[SAJewers]

OK, made the following changes on my end:

HUB: There is now a leek corresponding to worlds 1-8. They automatically disappear after 2 seconds (and you can't move during those 2 seconds). Collect the leeks for world 1-3, unlock world 4. collect the world 4 leek, unlock world 5-7. etc. (EDIT: use the cheatcode "dontstopmenow" to unlock all the worlds)

Sheath Courage: I think I fixed the throwing the bomb thing?

raocow's level: fixed getting stuck in the bomb area, and made the tofu block visible.

Take It What Now: Fixed second leek

Probably tonight I'll upload a new archive. Updated devkit with new sounds is going up right now. Should be the same link.

[Unaniem]

I'll get around to fixing some of the stuff in my levels once I feel kind of better, right now isn't really a time for doing anything because personal reasons.

Gonna have to do some work on Fahren if that coin issue pertains.

[docopoper]

I don't like the whole "majority have to agree" thing. I think the big problem with how ASMBXT was tested was that people were too scared of fixing levels they didn't like. Like I remember seeing terrible levels being streamed in that and just cringing and hoping that the level designer would fix it since I didn't feel like I was allowed to.

Really the edits being based on the views of one person isn't a big deal if the person takes care when editing. I know my edits have been based on both my own gripes, the problems I saw Dr. Shemp having and any other problems I saw in reviews.

I think bringing a bureaucratic element like that into this process will slow it down too much and will lead to the levels being worse.

Just let people make whatever edits they think are necessary and then post them here. And if the general consensus is that the updates make the level better - then you keep it.

[SAJewers]

Just because one person thinks something is terrible and needs to be changed doesn't mean everyone else thinks the same way. Everyone else may think the level is perfectly fine.

EDIT: I should note that this don't apply to small edits/fixes. Large-scale reworkings of levels that should have been rejected need only apply.

[SAJewers]

Actually, you know what? If the level author doesn't care to fix their level, and needs serious work after slipping through, just have at it. Just know that updates by the level author take precedence. We'll just stick a "directors cut" area in somewhere if raocow wants to play the unedited version.

[sedron]

Actually, you know what? If the level author doesn't care to fix their level, and needs serious work after slipping through, just have at it. Just know that updates by the level author take precedence. We'll just stick a "directors cut" area in somewhere if raocow wants to play the unedited version.

Are/should we take the time to contact authors for levels that need major revisions? I don't know about all of them but I know Triforce Trials was edited here, and we could probably just ask GanonTEK to fix it up. I think he's around.

[Willhart]

I had not planned on making any more larger fixes. Hopefully those will not be needed either. Isrieri wanted to remove most of the plants from the Poison Tree, but I don't think that is really necessary. The cutscenes do not really need larger changes either, in my opinion, even though some of them are rather long.

The original makers should be informed in larger cases. Someone has to make the changes though, when the level is broken somehow or the testers can't beat it legit.

[SAJewers]

Yeah, pretty much that.

[ztarwuff]

Also, Is anyone keeping the google doc up to date? It's hard for me to read this thread and know what's been fixed and what hasn't.

Well, I'm not sure about any other levels, but I've fixed the graphical issue in MAKL Vanilla. All I had to do was extend the resizable platform left a bit.

P.S. might be a good idea to put a link to the google doc in the OP.

[KingTwelveSixteen]

Also, while I'm at at it, does anybody else have a problem with...

the bullets from the Disco Tank? I must admit, I sometimes get caught out by it mysef. However, I've just noticed that I've accidentally left in a bullet npc text file from back when the level was supposed to be a disco shell ride with the disco tank chasing you.

The bullets are currently going double the normal speed. If anybody else is having problems, we can alwyas remove npc-17.txt from the level folder.

I noticed no problems with the bullet's speed.

There seems to be no reason that getting to the end should kill the disco-tank.

However, I need to wait for your response in regards to the above. Doesn't...

...hitting the switch trigger the lift to disappear, thus dropping the Disco Tank down a pit? I'm unsure as to why that wouldn't kill the Disco Tank.

Well, it's just...why does pressing that switch make the lift disappear? What purpose is there for a disappearing lift? Why disappear, instead of just fall? Why only THAT lift? Was the lift damaged somehow? Is that the secret 'trapdoor in case of James bond' or something?
I don't know. No reason is given for why that lift disappears into nothingness when you press the button, either explicitly or implicitly. (At least that I noticed.)

When I got to the end of the level and I saw the wall and the door hidden by pink blocks, I didn't feel victorious. It looked like a dead-end with no escape to me; a place where the disco-shell would kill me. There were no indications of how to defeat the tank that I saw at all there at the end. It looked like a trap. It looked like the toad had lied and I was going to die for believing him.
And then I hit the button or something and the disco-tank just...died. Immediately. With a disappearing elevator or something. And all the fear and 'that betraying toad!' emotions turned into confusion. It totally ruined the ending of the level for me. No victorious feelings for beating the level/defeating the disco-tank, just fear/'betrayal!' - followed by confusion.

[Ditocoaf]

Okay, I'm completely lost. I think I've only found and applied about 1/3 of the updates people have posted. I'm preparing to go on a big testing-binge, I've got a recording setup going even, but I have no idea how to get my test copy up to date at this point.

Seriously, instead of people posting random one-level updates in the middle of this testing discussion thread, could we have that all be in one place?

That google document, or the wiki page, whichever we're actually using, should be linked in the OP of this thread. And there should be another thread where people post their mini-updates, if only to make it easier for SAJewer to combine them all.

[SAJewers]

I'm collecting them all, and uploading archives bundling them all, check the OP.

[Ditocoaf]

The OP looks identical to how it did 3 days ago. What am I missing?

Also: are we using the google document or the wiki page or both?

[SAJewers]

The OP looks identical to how it did 3 days ago. What am I missing?

Also: are we using the google document or the wiki page or both?

Nothing. It's the same link.

Also, use the google doc.

[Sturg]

Yeah, I'm really confused at the moment since bugs and stuff are being posted both here and the google doc. Plus I'm not even sure if the wiki is being used. I'm gonna start copying stuff from this thread to the doc so that it'll all be in one place.

Use the google doc.

SAJ beat me darn it

[SAJewers]

This thread should only really be for discussion and whatnot. I'm not gonna go and try to read all the posts, and what's fixed and what hasn't been fixed. That's why I don't want to use the forums for posting bugs.

[ztarwuff]

Well, it's just...why does pressing that switch make the lift disappear? What purpose is there for a disappearing lift? Why disappear, instead of just fall? Why only THAT lift? Was the lift damaged somehow? Is that the secret 'trapdoor in case of James bond' or something?
I don't know. No reason is given for why that lift disappears into nothingness when you press the button, either explicitly or implicitly. (At least that I noticed.)

When I got to the end of the level and I saw the wall and the door hidden by pink blocks, I didn't feel victorious. It looked like a dead-end with no escape to me; a place where the disco-shell would kill me. There were no indications of how to defeat the tank that I saw at all there at the end. It looked like a trap. It looked like the toad had lied and I was going to die for believing him.
And then I hit the button or something and the disco-tank just...died. Immediately. With a disappearing elevator or something. And all the fear and 'that betraying toad!' emotions turned into confusion. It totally ruined the ending of the level for me. No victorious feelings for beating the level/defeating the disco-tank, just fear/'betrayal!' - followed by confusion.

No matter what I do, nobody seems to like the ending to that section.

Perhaps I should play around with some variant of having the elevator broken or in the wrong position.

[docopoper]

Well if it's a concern - can someone please test the changes I made to Triforce Trials and compare them to the original. The main thing I did was added in some nice background objects to make the level look nicer (so that people would be more willing to forgive its iffy gameplay) and I fixed up the gameplay as much as I could while still making what you have to do pretty much the exact same.

[Doctor Shemp]

Actually, you know what? If the level author doesn't care to fix their level, and needs serious work after slipping through, just have at it. Just know that updates by the level author take precedence. We'll just stick a "directors cut" area in somewhere if raocow wants to play the unedited version.

Well, if someone still has the original versions of the levels that needed serious work, we could include those. I know I still have the original of Sloppy Sands, Triforce Trials before the Bowser got replaced by a Birdo, and Cinder Canyon before it got toned down slightly. I may still have the original of Plant Zone.

Also, in regards to Triforce Trials, I mentioned in the video but forgot to mention here or in the .doc that the big reason the underwater section kind of looks wrong is that there's open flames in the background! Flames underwater! So a quick change to a different castle background for that section would make it look better.

[docopoper]

Also, in regards to Triforce Trials, I mentioned in the video but forgot to mention here or in the .doc that the big reason the underwater section kind of looks wrong is that there's open flames in the background! Flames underwater! So a quick change to a different castle background for that section would make it look better.

I already did that in my edit. I also added seaweed and a bit of corel.

[SAJewers]

OK, did some more clean up of Plant Zone. Two things:

1) Who ever thought it was OK to have plants not come out of pipes?

2) Why must people place a mushroom on the ground instead of using an actual powerups box?

EDIT: I think we need a thread full of level design tips/what not to do.

[sedron]

OK, did some more clean up of Plant Zone. Two things:

1) Who ever thought it was OK to have plants not come out of pipes?

2) Why must people place a mushroom on the ground instead of using an actual powerups box?

EDIT: I think we need a thread full of level design tips/what not to do.

Oh, that actually sounds like an interesting thing to write. You want something specific to SMBX for now? We could make similar threads for other engines down the line but I think one for this engine is the most pressing thing.

I'm writing some stuff down now, I'll post it here later and see what you guys think.