raocow's talkhaus

thx level name that starts with one of the last letters of the alphabet

I think next year/next time I will definitely try for a level with two stars. My level as it is didn't really feel like that fit the philosophy of what it was trying to do, but unfortunately hindsight is blah blah and I've learned a ton about SMBx since the actual main contest ended, and there's an area in my level that blatantly is asking for a bit more that I basically did a super poor job utilizing (you'll all see what I mean during the LP). Next time I'll definitely know and understand better to take that branch and make an interesting side distraction with it...

Also, for the sake of the topic, let's say you have a level with no particular story and no particularly plot-driven/railroaded reason to have two different "endings" in context; would you say the level-ending star should ever be used for the second+ stars, rather than the one that won't end the level? I don't mind old game philosophies that have you replay a level, you should as a gamer be able to enjoy a level a second time, but with the recent(?) stigma against having to do a level twice or make the player replay sections for absolutely no reason, I wonder how people look at using the level-ending star if there's "no reason" to play the first part to a level again. I get the feeling it wouldn't be well-received in a contest setting without a good story involved in the level...

No Lynch wrote:Not necessarily. It could be someone being referred to by a gender-neutral pronoun, as of referring to a person in general, without knowing for certain their preferred pronoun.

look at the composition of team foxgirl

it's obviously team foxgirl

Horikawa Otane wrote:i was talking about a second star that basically halved someone's score

Definitely not mine then, phew.

If I could have thought of a better way to implement a second star I would have done so. My original plan was to make the second star's path be accessed from wrapping around the first section and coming from behind the goal and make it a more difficult version of the sections I already had in place, but I decided against it.
If you're wondering, it would be because you tried to take something from behind someone and they'd get mad at you.

This could theoretically be about my level, but I don't think my second star was excessively unreasonable. Hard, sure, but I made an effort to mitigate that. At worst it might be really bad before you figure out how to handle it. Admittedly there was one little bit that I wanted to tweak to make easier, but I couldn't think of a specific way to do that.

Still, given what I've seen of excessively hard Talkhaus levels, this is probably about something much worse than my level's second star.

Probably. Hopefully.

(Actually, I tested a level that this definitely could have applied to at one point, but the section in question got significantly toned down. Unless that level somehow got submitted with the ridiculously hard version.)

Edit: Oh, wait. The list says it's updated but my level isn't processed yet, guess I'm safe.

For now.

ITT: Paranoia/reinjection of hype

I'm probably most excited about hearing the hub is complete. Nice job knocking that out Wilhart.

Otane would you be willing to answer the question of "Was there at least one case of two people using the same name?"

Horikawa Otane wrote:

pholtos wrote:Otane would you be willing to answer the question of "Was there at least one case of two people using the same name?"

Yes and yes.

Ooh. That will be fun. It will be interesting to see how different people take the name in different directions. I hope the two levels are wildly different.

I will burst into flame and sprout golden hair and LP the entire contest in one sitting if someone somehow had and then chose the same level name as me. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the same-name entries were definitely all Easy. Medium if the stars aligned this spring, but I'd definitely put the money on Easy.

Horikawa Otane wrote:You wanted some more content?

Talking about a level I judged awhile ago...

[01:40:01] Horikawa Otane: this is just
[01:40:03] Horikawa Otane: the height of stupidity
[01:40:05] Horikawa Otane: what were they THINKING
[01:40:09] Sturg: yep haha
[01:40:10] Horikawa Otane: like the rest of the level is great actually
[01:40:12] Horikawa Otane: but this is just
[01:40:19] Horikawa Otane: the most bafflingly stupid thing

Hoping it's not me while kind of thinking it might be.

And thus, Horikawa gets everyone with multiple stars in their level to really consider whether that second star was a good idea.

I had my doubts with my second star (and contradictory advice from the people who tested), so the comments gave me a brief scare. But with further thought I'm still pretty confident in what I did, and even if it struck the judges poorly I don't think it'd get those precise comments, so I'm feeling good again. I'm still predicting a place exactly halfway, i.e. "good for a first-timer".

Fun Fact: My Submission is the first SMBX level I have ever put on the internet

7NameSam wrote:Fun Fact: My Submission is the first SMBX level I have ever put on the internet

join the club! I think some 70% or so are 1st time smbx levelmakers

FFR wrote:

7NameSam wrote:Fun Fact: My Submission is the first SMBX level I have ever put on the internet

join the club! I think some 70% or so are 1st time smbx levelmakers

It's not my FIRST level

My level is my first everything; my first venture into the world of game design and the harsh criticism and judging that comes with it being played publicly as I stand with the small hope that I'll survive the impact of being a first time level designer.

Of course I realize at this point that I have made games before on a different site, BUT THIS IS 2D PLATFORMING LEVEL DESIGN SO ITS STILL A FIRST...

Also oh man one of the levels I've tested for someone is on the judged list now. It was really good so I hope it was judged well!

FrozenQuills wrote:I stand with the small hope that I'll survive the impact of being a first time level designer.

If it helps, level design is extraordinarily difficult to do well, and many professional developers don't manage it. It comes more naturally to some people than others, but I highly doubt anyone finds it easy.

After I finished my level, I went back played through the level and changed stuff I didn't think other people would find fun

7NameSam wrote:After I finished my level, I went back played through the level and changed stuff I didn't think other people would find fun

After submitting mine, I've noted numerous places the design could be improved, particularly with enemy placements, but there's not much I can do about it now.

Horikawa Otane wrote:You wanted some more content?

Talking about a level I judged awhile ago...

[01:40:01] Horikawa Otane: this is just
[01:40:03] Horikawa Otane: the height of stupidity
[01:40:05] Horikawa Otane: what were they THINKING
[01:40:09] Sturg: yep haha
[01:40:10] Horikawa Otane: like the rest of the level is great actually
[01:40:12] Horikawa Otane: but this is just
[01:40:19] Horikawa Otane: the most bafflingly stupid thing

Let me guess, it involves

actually I was asked to change this in order to not spoil my level

?

FFR wrote:

7NameSam wrote:Fun Fact: My Submission is the first SMBX level I have ever put on the internet

join the club! I think some 70% or so are 1st time smbx levelmakers

Same. Even if I place not-so-great, I can still be happy that I did a thing. I think most of us can say that!

Am I the only one that's still somehow stupidly happy and content with how their level is. :3

Maybe because my second star isn't a star!

Dog In Da Grass wrote:Am I the only one that's still somehow stupidly happily and content with how their level is. :3

Maybe because my second star isn't a star!

My only star isn't a star :3

Oh I'm content about my level, I'm just... cautious about how it'll be received.

RenaTurnip wrote:

Dog In Da Grass wrote:Am I the only one that's still somehow stupidly happily and content with how their level is. :3

Maybe because my second star isn't a star!

My only star isn't a star :3

*GASP!*