Episode 2 Discussion Thread

[docopoper]

Would it be possible to make lives into just a number? So that going into negative lives does nothing and you can go over 99. That would make them redundant while still being somewhat enjoyable to collect.

[snoruntpyro]

Maybe we could have some sort of "black market" that takes lives as a currency and gives you rare or special items, ala the Frog Coin shop from SMRPG.

[SAJewers]

The idea I had was an option between lives or demos. You picked "lives", it's just like it currently is.

If you picked "demos", you'd never lose lives, and they would just be a number of how many 1ups you collected, and they would go over 99.

Maybe we could have some sort of "black market" that takes lives as a currency and gives you rare or special items, ala the Frog Coin shop from SMRPG.

We have the raocoin counter for that. No use in replicating that.

[Imaynotbehere4long]

It wouldn't, as it's possible someone might want to disable pausing the game in their level.

You could still probably make it so that pushing start will show song credits, even if it doesn't pause the game.

[snoruntpyro]

We have the raocoin counter for that. No use in replicating that.

By "ala the frog coin shop" I meant that the raocoin shop would still be there, it's just that there would be a secret shop that took lives instead for even better and rarer things. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

[docopoper]

The problem with using lives as a currency is that you can grind lives. Actually, now that I think about it: The only problem with lives in SMBX is that when you get a game over you start with very few lives. If you came back with 20 lives or something the life system would actually be quite good.

[WasabiJellyfish]

The problem with using lives as a currency is that you can grind lives. Actually, now that I think about it: The only problem with lives in SMBX is that when you get a game over you start with very few lives. If you came back with 20 lives or something the life system would actually be quite good.

Also the whole having to play through an entire world again is a problem.

[Imaynotbehere4long]

Also the whole having to play through an entire world again is a problem.

You mean "an entire half a level"? Because the only thing Game Overs don't save are checkpoints.

[ano0maly]

The problem with using lives as a currency is that you can grind lives.

I'm thinking that as long as the rewards for the currency are inherently optional, it shouldn't be a big deal that the currency is prone to grinding or otherwise easy to find. Games like Nitroid were fine giving out currency items like candy because what they can purchase are mere convenience items, like heal and anytime "quit to world select", that weren't required in theory or (for most of the game) in practice. So it may depend in part on what the currency can purchase.

[WasabiJellyfish]

Also the whole having to play through an entire world again is a problem.

You mean "an entire half a level"? Because the only thing Game Overs don't save are checkpoints.

Oh, well I guess that's better than haha, I wasn't sure. Lives are still kind of an archaic system though.

[pholtos]

I'll look into starting testing sometime in the next few days, list up to date SA?

[QubicTom]

Regarding the lives discussion, I think the idea of the game over being disabled and allowing the number of lives to go negative is hilarious I think it would get a great reaction out of everyone when they play the game for the first time (keep it a secret and make sure there is no life farms for maximum effect!).

If lives are just another collectable, it could be a way to make points more useful - get +1 to the life counter every 50,000 points or something like that. The score right now is just so disappointingly redundant in SMBX.

[SAJewers]

I'll look into starting testing sometime in the next few days, list up to date SA?

I'll update it in a bit.

EDIT: And done.

[SAJewers]

Something I just realized: I don't think there are lot of levels with secret exits.

[Imaynotbehere4long]

Something I just realized: I don't think there are lot of levels with secret exits.

I actually prefer it that way since Episode 1 had quite a few levels whose secret exits were just shortcuts to other levels (or just lead to a joke) instead of leading to a town or a secret level with a leek. Besides, you could always make the town the start of the world if you're really running short on levels with secret exits.

[snoruntpyro]

Something I just realized: I don't think there are lot of levels with secret exits.

The thing is, secret exits have a high chance of just lowering the level's quality or outright ruining the level (Bubble Trouble), so rather than making a level with two exits people just make a one-exit level to be safer.

And honestly, unless the level is REALLY good, learning that there's a secret exit honestly takes me way, way out of it.

[pholtos]

I'll look into starting testing sometime in the next few days, list up to date SA?

I'll update it in a bit.

EDIT: And done.

Where do I find em?

[SAJewers]

I'll look into starting testing sometime in the next few days, list up to date SA?

I'll update it in a bit.

EDIT: And done.

Where do I find em?

Your Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J8V ... Fr-jU/edit

[pholtos]

No no no I mean the levels so I can download them.

[Hoeloe]

I suggest making a change in the LuaScriptsLib folder in the A2XT base game. I was watching some of Pyro's reviews and noticed that multipoints uses the vanilla SMBX graphic. The fix is quite easy, it just requires changing the mp.png file in LuaScriptsLib->Multipoints to this:

[SAJewers]

I already did that some time ago.

No no no I mean the levels so I can download them.

http://asmbxt.wikia.com/wiki/A2MBXT_Lev ... ng_Reviews

[WestonSmith]

So, I see some very early world building has started on the wiki. Obviously, nothing is set in stone, and I do think the proper procedure is to let the submitted levels build the games structure and plot, but I'm gonna toss a few planet names out there based on plants. Also a couple of ideas.

World 1: Planet Clover - An "Irish" style planet, wish lush green grass, old style castles, lighthouses, lots of sheep, and a few boggy swamp lands.

World 2: Planet Boxwood - The snow planet. No real ideas, just a themed name.

World 3: Planet Cholla - The standard desert planet. Well, until you find your way into Demo's Journey Through Time. Since the level ends in the past, it would be SUPER cool if that caused the entire map to revert to the past as well. Suddenly, the desert planet might be lush and full of life once again.

World 4: Planet Liverwort - The cave planet. No real ideas, just a theme name.

World 5: Planet Cragside - The name is a reference to the location of the first power plant, thus keeping the theme naming alive (sort of).

World 6: Planet Posidonia - Water levels aren't overly common, mostly because they're hard to make work and can be tedious in a row. Having said that, I'm down for a water planet that's not really a water planet. I'd suggest pulling from MAGLX and having this be the home of Dracula's Castle. Make this a sort of cross up between water levels and creepy/haunted level. (SIDE NOTE: Sea Side Slumber would probably fit better in World 1, and wouldn't be out of place in an Irish themed world).

World 7: Planet Cannabis - Really, any "trippy" plant name would work, I just went for the obvious one. I'm not sure how a WTF world works, so I can't comment anything past the name.

World 8: Planet Redwood - The tallest trees seem fitting for the Sky Planet. It'd be cool to pull a reverse SMB3, and have the player start in the clouds before finding a tower to work their way down (Descent of Nine, possibly?). The ground planet could be the more traditional end game planet, with the dark gloomy stuff.

Just some thoughts. Still way too early to set anything in stone.

[Hoeloe]

World 3: Planet Cholla - The standard desert planet. Well, until you find your way into Demo's Journey Through Time. Since the level ends in the past, it would be SUPER cool if that caused the entire map to revert to the past as well. Suddenly, the desert planet might be lush and full of life once again.

Really like this idea, and it would work super well with the town I have in mind, if we can pull it off.

World 7: Planet Cannabis - Really, any "trippy" plant name would work, I just went for the obvious one. I'm not sure how a WTF world works, so I can't comment anything past the name.

I would be tempted to do something like set this world in hyperspace. Would be cool to have something slightly different than just "planet with X theme", and a planet situated in hyperspace could be sufficiently interesting, and account for all the weirdness going on.

World 8: Planet Redwood - The tallest trees seem fitting for the Sky Planet. It'd be cool to pull a reverse SMB3, and have the player start in the clouds before finding a tower to work their way down (Descent of Nine, possibly?). The ground planet could be the more traditional end game planet, with the dark gloomy stuff.

I don't think the Descent of Nine will fit here. It's a postgame level really, and is more about a metaphysical descent than a physical one. It's not really the right fit for this section.

That said, I'm sure we won't struggle to find a level with some downwards verticality to use. This idea is neat.

[SAJewers]

Whatever names we use, let's try not to use "Planet" as much as possible in the naming, like with Ep1 (and SMB3, for that matter, which had "___ Land" for world names)

[ztarwuff]

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.