Testing and Development: Deadline-one week after comments

[limepie20]

Yeah I used to think that, too.
Even if it was that way, you could always reinsert the block to another space.

[TomPhanto]

Here's the first draft for my level.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ox6ha2d3xty759x

[Wyatt]

TomPhanto: I found your level to be a lot of fun, if a little simple. The bright colors made me happy. I saw you declare the music you want to use in the other thread, you should try inserting it to see how well it fits the stage.

Some suggestions:
-Not sure if that first message box was necessary
-When I died and restarted the level, the first boomerang bro didn't spawn
-I don't like how there's a ceiling above the first sublevel. Not sure if you know, but a2mt is patched so people can't bring a cape into someone else's level and break it
-IMO the coins that spell "RUN" would look better as "Y+B" or simply a couple arrows (this is also helpful for non-english speakers)

tomphanto_00000.png (6.42 KiB) Viewed 2004 times

-This would be a decent place for a dragon coin. I think 5 dragon coins per level is actually mandatory for this game, so find some places to put those.

tomphanto_00001.png (6.12 KiB) Viewed 2004 times

The top of this land mass demo's facing should be cornered off like the bottom (since you can stand on top of it)

[notgoodwithusernames]

Here is a preview of the first part for my level:

http://youtu.be/RY4apzB4vzc

The level is suppose to be extremely hard, but I want to have some fairness in the level.

[Cheeseofdoom]

Here is a preview of the first part for my level:

http://youtu.be/RY4apzB4vzc

The level is suppose to be extremely hard, but I want to have some fairness in the level.

I am loving the use of the wall jump and wind blocks, great job!

The wind blocks kind of have a funky graphic situation, I presume those are temporary?

[ProfessorDemetri]

Oh hai guise. What's goin' on in here... lol
So I read through the few posts that were here when I wasn't.
I'll have you guys some level critiques in the next few days... it was a long weekend lol
But all in all, levels seem to be chugging along just fine.
Good to see guys! Keep it up!

[Slit08]

re: your picture subtitle - it would actually look pretty nice with your chosen palette there, in my opinion.

Actually I think what he meant to say was just to change the small clouds not the big black one. So if he would change the graphics of the small clouds the red-black coloured palette would still exist.

Fireyblaze:

I played your level and except for the slowdowns due to sprite overload it is qite good. However, how am I supposed to pass the second room (the underground room)? Whenever I try to go into the pipe on the right (after getting the springboard and the blue P-Switch) it sends me back into the same room (it loops).

[Cmbheadquarters]

Welp! Here is my A2MT level for beta testing. It is half-ish complete, so It's not ready for clearing. I would like you guys to pick flaws in the level design, and the good things. here it is:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PW23ADN4

[Argumentable]

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PW23ADN4

Ok I played this. The first two sections feel really basic. There's nothing wrong with that, the second one is especially fine, but the third part just feels really different from the other two that I think working the first two parts to fit with the third (or vice versa) might make it feel better.

In the third section, though, I have two complaints. The first being that I feel like there's no time to react. I feel like I gotta sit at the top of the screen cause the sludge or whatever takes up half of it. You could move it down a few tiles and I think it would still work.

My second complaint is that there are literal dead ends where if you go the wrong way you are dead. The parts being the pea thing at the start of the area (I thought I was going to have to use it to jump higher, but really it serves no purpose?) and the part where you need to jump on the thwomp (Unless you can actually do something in that gap and I missed it). I would work on making it a little more fair, or maybe even having multiple paths for it. I know you said it's only halfway done, but even with that I'd say those are some things to consider. Also there's a part near the end where you actually do need to be as close to the top of the screen as possible or else you're not gonna be able to spin jump off the ball n' chain to get to the end. I'd maybe throw in some marked "invisible" coin blocks, that way it's still a delay but you don't have to have psychic knowledge of what's going to be coming up ahead

A2MT - something_00000.png

Also I think the first area would be better if it was sunken down a bit lower, I really don't care for running behind the status stuff

Despite the obvious influences, I don't think Krook's March fits very well. I'd look around for a new song.

[Cmbheadquarters]

Thanks. I'll go about fixing them errors. Also, I think krook's march does fit simply because of the rising sludge, being reminisant of toxic tower. However I do think there are better things, but I can't find any on SMWC. and I can't port.

[Wyatt]

Cmb: A2MT's generic castle theme would probably fit pretty well, but if you have a better song in mind I can port it for you. Hell, I'll even make you an original song if you can give me some sorta direction. I'd advise to not stick with krook's march due to its extreme overuse in SMW hacks.

I'd give you some actual level critique, but Argumentable already said everything there is to say.

[Cmbheadquarters]

Well, I hate to ask, but could you make a custom one?

well, I want it to be Dark, y'know, sewery. (echo'd sfx?) but not slow, but fast paced.

Thanks.

[Davvic]

posting again because nobody ever tested it ^_^;

http://www.mediafire.com/?clk3nrri0jdj1h5

[Ometeotl]

So, my HDD is dying, but I should be able to salvage most of the files on it. However, until I can do that, I won't be able to work on anything or upload anything showing progress.

[Tails_155]

They do have an official name but I already forgot it.

Are Mega Don

Why that spelling? The idea is a spin on Armageddon, but i you still want that general idea R. megadon would make it look like a genus and species name. Where was this talked about, I'd like to give my two cents if the option is still out there.

[Cmbheadquarters]

Davic: I just played it, and I have a few complaints.

1: I noticed that alot of this revolved around bullet jumping. (BTW vines and bullets: = 99up) (see raocow's playthrough of SMWCP, when he has like 1 life, he farms them via this.) This is pretty dumb, as it is considered Kaizo-ish (see Kaizo Mario World 1-1)

2: The one up down the bottom is useless, and a trap. (kaiozy) you can't get back up there, so you have to die.

3: The music feels, well, empty... I think a more 'spacey' theme. Siren bright club lane, (on SMWC, by worldpeace) or ducktales - the moon (spigmike, also on smwc.)

Like the pallette, by the way.

[Wyatt]

@davvic: Really like the atmosphere in this level, though I'm probably biased since AUS was one of my favorite games of all time. Also the message box was cute.

Criticism:
Time limit was too short. I had like 50 seconds left the first time I got to the dark part. The next life I had 150 and still timed out because it's not exactly clear what to do. I eventually gave up and just put a save state at the start of the dark room because it's actually really hard to grab onto the koopa shell, it usually falls offscreen and de-spawns. It's also really easy to get shot by the cannons while falling. Giving the player a powerup would make this more tolerable, but really there shouldn't be any room for danger in a blind fall. Guide the player with coins if that helps.

Tldr: You should make the final room more fair and add one or two hundred to the timer.

EDIT: Just remembered, I only found four dragon coins. Where's the fifth?

@cmbheadquarters: I've never actually done a sewer theme before, so composing isn't going as smoothly as I'd like. Here's one attempt, but it sounds way more like a castle than a sewer. Something like Pokey Pipes but with more energy would probably fit well, but nothing's coming to me right now.

[Cmbheadquarters]

I don't know what you're talkin' about. with the instrements being a bit more dark, it would sound great. but that could be the 'climax' of the song.

[Davvic]

Cmbheadquarters:

There isnt a single spot where you need to bullet jump...why do people keep saying this...

I fixed the one up spot so you need to koopa jump to get out of it.

Also I thought the bullets + vines would be okay since they spawn in a different spot each time because its a generator? The player cant just sit there and farm, they have to move.

Wyatt:

I added another 100 to the time limit.

I added a powerup to the end of the first section

I added some coins above the koopa as a hint.

Also did you get the coin to the left of charly in the very beginning wyatt?

Heres the new version of the level for anyone else to test.
http://www.mediafire.com/?tybik1t3mbgblqj

[raocow]

If everyone keeps doing a thing you say isn't necessary, I'm thinking the problem may come from the design!

[Davvic]

In that case do we have P switch "buttons"?

You know the ones where you hit the bottom of them, and you can press them an infinite amount of times.

[Argumentable]

This "new" version still seems to have a lot of the problems that were pointed out before
-4 Yoshi Coins
-Last room kind of unfair
-Not enough time

Also here's the parts where you need to bullet jump

A2MT - bluhh_00000.png

Here, though technically you can use the footballs or whatever else

A2MT - bluhh_00001.png

Here, I imagine, is the main one. Even with the p-switch pressed there's really no other easy option (especially if you're small), yes, I know you can jump on that block that is visible in the picture, but it looks like a really small jump and honestly it "feels" easier to bullet jump whether or not it actually is

A2MT - bluhh_00002.png

Also I hope this is still a glitchy sprite that doesn't belong and not what a2mt is replacing the lava lotus with

[Davvic]

Another new version. Things are moving quicker now that people are giving feedback ^_^;

-I PROMISE you there are 5 coins in my level. 4 in the first area. 1 in the cave.
-I lowered the charly at the beginning so its possible to jump onto him without bullet/football jumping
-Removed the temptation of bullet jumping at the vines completely.
-Lowered the expanding blocks in the cave so you wont be shot when you land on one if you are small.

http://www.mediafire.com/?u5xq4hpyj5dpcdz

Im still kinda nervous about raising my time limit even more...

[raocow]

Wait, you said you themed your level around AUS, from what I'm reading, right? Since AUS is an exploration game, it would totally be in flavour to just remove the time limit completely (set it to 00)

[Davvic]

Wait, you said you themed your level around AUS, from what I'm reading, right? Since AUS is an exploration game, it would totally be in flavour to just remove the time limit completely (set it to 00)

It is kinda and it is kinda not. My original intentions were that yeah, but since its my first level I really lack the skills to make it a full on reference. Which is why I changed the level name.

I will try and experiment with a no time limit, and make it so you have to explore more.