Re: Episode 2 Discussion Thread
Posted: 13 Nov 2015, 13:46
Yeah give them just the planet names but not prefixed with Planet. Like you could use the scientific name for a redwood or something.
The idea could work, but you should have left out your reasoning. We should try to make the episode good enough so that players won't want to cheat in the first place. Besides, all .wld files are linked anyway, so if a player really wants to, he/she can cheat to skip worlds even in episodes like Analog Funk.ztarwuff wrote:Does it have to be a world? Why can't we have one gigantic map with continents linked together. That way if somebody does get trapped in a "world" they don't like because it's too difficult to be fun, they can use the "I'll park where I want" cheat code to escape.
This is mostly just an excuse to give things fancy names (they're in alphabetical order too, just because). Feel free to ignore.
Good point. Still, my other point still stands. Heck, you don't even have to have continents either. Just one big sprawling world map.Imaynotbehere4long wrote:The idea could work, but you should have left out your reasoning. We should try to make the episode good enough so that players won't want to cheat in the first place. Besides, all .wld files are linked anyway, so if a player really wants to, he/she can cheat to skip worlds even in episodes like Analog Funk.ztarwuff wrote:Does it have to be a world? Why can't we have one gigantic map with continents linked together. That way if somebody does get trapped in a "world" they don't like because it's too difficult to be fun, they can use the "I'll park where I want" cheat code to escape.
However, I think that the episode should begin with a level-level that, although the player can still die, is easy enough for first-time players to be able to figure out the controls on his/her own (*cough cough* The Post Production Void *cough cough*). After all, the player would have to know where at least the jump button and movement keys are to be able to navigate the start-up menu and begin the episode in the first place. Maybe we can even have different levels be tutorials for different characters (mine is for Sheath, obviously; someone else can claim one other character, another person could claim two characters for one level, etc.), and such levels would be judged not as general levels, but as tutorial levels for said characters.SAJewers wrote:Show the controls, then fade into an empty level section where the player can not die. the player has to exit that section, where the main tutorial begins, and the player learns all the basics of smbx.
The tutorial for each character should be somewhat brief and not overstay its welcome at all, while teaching everything that the player will need to know. Whatever character is first has to include tutorial stuff on even the general things of smbx; the most basic stuff has to be in the tutorial area for the first character, while slightly more advanced stuff can be placed in other character's sections.
While I see your point, my idea for the tutorial(s) would fall under "making and reviewing levels," (as said levels could be made by any user; it just has to be accepted) which is why I'd like to go ahead and begin this particular discussion about the tutorial(s).SAJewers wrote:Edit: also, we really shouldn't be talking about stuff like this right now. We should be focusing on making and reviewing levels, until get get a general base of levels to work with.
And it shouldn't be at all. Any tutorial is very important that it is done right. It should not be just another level. It needs to be carefully crafted to teach the player.Imaynotbehere4long wrote: While I see your point, my idea for the tutorial(s) would fall under "making and reviewing levels," (as said levels could be made by any user; it just has to be accepted) which is why I'd like to go ahead and begin this particular discussion about the tutorial(s).
Hence my suggestion of the alternate judging criteria; the same criteria that Pyro and WestonSmith used to judge my level (I assume). The level creator could put "tutorial for [character]" in the Restrictions slot so judges would know to judge it as a tutorial and not just another level.SAJewers wrote:And it shouldn't be at all. Any tutorial is very important that it is done right. It should not be just another level. It needs to be carefully crafted to teach the player.Imaynotbehere4long wrote: While I see your point, my idea for the tutorial(s) would fall under "making and reviewing levels," (as said levels could be made by any user; it just has to be accepted) which is why I'd like to go ahead and begin this particular discussion about the tutorial(s).
Well, my suggestion was to have different levels. In a single level, you have to cram five different characters into something small. It gets rushed.Imaynotbehere4long wrote:Maybe we can even have different levels be tutorials for different characters (mine is for Sheath, obviously; someone else can claim one other character, another person could claim two characters for one level, etc.), and such levels would be judged not as general levels, but as tutorial levels for said characters.
Thoughts?
I'm open to that idea, though that would be reliant on the judges' willingness to comb through the levels looking for something that could work as a tutorial for each character.ztarwuff wrote:Mind you, remember how I brought up my level, MAKL Vanilla, as an example? Well, I never designed that as a tutorial. I set out to create a vanilla asset level that utilised Kood's mechanics. So, the thing that we should be doing is looking through the levels submitted and seeing which ones make the best tutorial levels.
My idea was more "if none fit the criteria, mention it to the Talkhaus and see if anyone wants to make one. If so, then judge the tutorial levels accordingly; if not, then make some." After all, some nobody might be able to do a better job than the project leads or veterans; you never know.ztarwuff wrote:If none fit the criteria, then make some.
You'd probably have to contact the level's creator for permission to turn said levels into tutorials. Some people might not want their levels to be tutorials while others would be more than happy to give it a go.ztarwuff wrote:If something fits the criteria, try to tailor it to fit in with the beginning.
I also want to point out that SMB World 1-1 is also a tutorial. It's often used as an example in the industry of an ideal tutorial level. There are studies and papers written about it because of this fact.docopoper wrote:If you're looking for inspiration for a good tutorial look at Shovel Knight's first level, it pulls of the "secretly a tutorial" thing really well.
Well, I already have a checkpoint do that, and I have a restriction to make the level inaccessible after it's beaten, so I'd say that box is checked.Rockythechao wrote:1 - Keep the scrolling intro text, it's neato. Just make sure it only happens once per new game, whether that be via a midpoint or lua or whatever.
Or I could just, you know, use the keyboard graphic from Episode 1's tutorial (or a similar sprite); no Lua necessary. It wouldn't be too much trouble for me to add that if I had to.Rockythechao wrote:2 - The very next screen the player sees should have visible key prompts. Just, like, floating arrow keys and the jump key via Graphics.loadImage() and Graphics.drawImageToScene (). No text, just the main movement buttons.
But I already save Super Leeks on death by virtue of them being SMW stars; what more do you want?Rockythechao wrote:3 - More Lua shenanigans to make the level safer without necessarily removing the illusion of danger. Maybe keep death in but prevent it from having larger consequences.
Hey, that's basically what I suggested a few posts ago to begin this discussion! It's always nice to see more people come out in support for an idea you have.Rockythechao wrote:4 - Make other levels that teach the other characters' abilities; ideally these wouldn't re-teach concepts the player already learned through PPV but still highlight the differences between characters' physics and mechanics.
and that's basically what I said earlier, the tutorial needs to encompass all playable characters, and the first character needs to include basic stuff about smbx. Whether or not it's multiple levels or 1 large level split into sections is irrelevant. what matters is that the player is taught is a cohesive, straightforward manner, and I don't think PPV does that.Imaynotbehere4long wrote:Hey, that's basically what I suggested a few posts ago to begin this discussion! It's always nice to see more people come out in support for an idea you have.Rockythechao wrote:4 - Make other levels that teach the other characters' abilities; ideally these wouldn't re-teach concepts the player already learned through PPV but still highlight the differences between characters' physics and mechanics.
Again, I ask: what do I have to do to accomplish that?SAJewers wrote:what matters is that the player is taught is a cohesive, straightforward manner, and I don't think PPV does that.
SAJewers wrote:
SAJewers wrote:
SAJewers wrote:
SAJewers wrote:
SAJewers wrote:
SAJewers wrote:
SAJewers wrote:
SAJewers wrote:
SAJewers wrote:
Then you're teaching players to expect going left-to-right.Imaynotbehere4long wrote:I don't think this is that big an issue, especially since my level makes the player face left as a subtle indication that he/she has to go that way, and most other levels will have the player on the left facing right as an indication that the player will have to go the other way. It will let players know that both types of levels are possibilities right from the start, especially players who are used to traditional Mario side-scrollers.SAJewers wrote:the level currently going right-to-left (when most levels go left-to-right)
SMB1 1-1. The first first powerup was an essential part of that. Or even 1-1 of SMB3 (EDIT: http://www.significant-bits.com/super-m ... gn-lessons ). SMW YI1 had a life combo right at the start (the koopas)Imaynotbehere4long wrote:Do any of the Mario games have anything on them, like, at all? Especially lives: they're always placed in difficult to reach, or at least out-of-the-way, locations, like I did with the 3-up in my level. I guess I can place a coin trail and carrot at the start, though I don't think it would hurt to save higher-tier power-ups for another character's tutorial level.SAJewers wrote:There's nothing on coins, lives, powerups.
I'm talking flying with the leaf powerup.Imaynotbehere4long wrote:Scenario: You're playing a side-scrolling platformer, when suddenly your character falls down a shaft, collides with a thing, and suddenly transforms into a character with wings and stops falling. Keep in mind you never lose control of the player during this.SAJewers wrote:There's nothing on how fairy mode works (as in flight mechanics),
What I'm trying to say is that flight mechanics in any side-scroller where doing nothing doesn't cause you to fall always control the same, and even players unfamiliar with this control setup will be able to figure out what to do easily due to the fact that the character stops falling. It's intuitive enough that I don't really have to do anything except force the player to become a fairy.
The most I might have to do is lower the left wall so players won't accidentally fly into the lava when experimenting with the flight mechanics, but really, that's about it.
doesn't matter if it's one button, it still needs to be taught that you can press a button as Sheath to kill certain enemies.Imaynotbehere4long wrote:Not only is that activated by literally a single button push, but the second flashback in the opening shows Sheath performing that attack to break a glass wall. Now that I think about it, I could add a glass wall at the start to force the player to [figure out how to] attack with Sheath; maybe even add the Ep. 1 keyboard as an extra measure.SAJewers wrote:how basic attacking as Sheath works.
That's why I brought it up. Don't use text, and don't use visual pictures, use the environment. Watch that Megaman X video if you haven't, it shows how that game does it well.Imaynotbehere4long wrote:Is there a better way that doesn't involve flat out telling the player what he/she has to do via text? I think that's something we'd all like to avoid.SAJewers wrote:One could also argue that visual signage is a bad way to show the player how to do things.
For 1 leek, sure, but not for 8 or 9.Imaynotbehere4long wrote:I don't know; I think teaching the player about leeks early on is a good idea. Not only will the player see that they add to a total on the HUD, but if the player dies, he/she will see that they were saved on death, and will know that another level that has leeks won't require you to beat the level again to keep them.SAJewers wrote:use lua saving stuff over inflating the leek counter with 8 or 9 leeks.
Just forget that idea, and find some other song.Imaynotbehere4long wrote:Yeah...I kinda built the level around the original Shades, as I wanted another subtle callback to Episode 1. The decision to use Mordi's remix was solely so I knew that it wouldn't trigger content ID. I have plans to look for a better fitting remix, though I'm not finding much so far.[/spoiler]SAJewers wrote:Also, there's almost certainly better music we could use.
SAJewers wrote:
SAJewers wrote:
SAJewers wrote:
SAJewers wrote:
Going to be honest: I still don't understand what the long-term negative effect of having 8 leeks in the first level is. Please explain.SAJewers wrote:For 1 leek, sure, but not for 8 or 9.Imaynotbehere4long wrote:I don't know; I think teaching the player about leeks early on is a good idea. Not only will the player see that they add to a total on the HUD, but if the player dies, he/she will see that they were saved on death, and will know that another level that has leeks won't require you to beat the level again to keep them.SAJewers wrote:use lua saving stuff over inflating the leek counter with 8 or 9 leeks.