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VLDC9 - vanilla level design contest 9

this is the place where lps are being talked about. it's important to talk about games being played on the internet.
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Re: VLDC9 - valuables lucratively deceiving cerebrums 9

Post by snoruntpyro »

Starting to see why the results in this contest are bad? :V

Also Ruins of Cupidity has the miscellaneous monument music im like <3 <3 <3
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Re: VLDC9 - valuables lucratively deceiving cerebrums 9

Post by FPzero »

My VLDC9 playthrough just went live here on the talkhaus: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17212

Come by for a different perspective on the contest!
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Re: VLDC9 - valuables lucratively deceiving cerebrums 9

Post by Sebby19 »

Nimono wrote:The reason we had an "author leak" penalty is because we were doing anonymous judging this contest, and the reason we did anonymous judging was because people kept complaining that the same few people kept getting 1st place and were so sure that it was bias just due to who made them. So we took out that variable of knowing who made them, penalizing people for not helping to uphold that.

Personally, I don't think it really did what people were hoping it would, and I hope we never do that again. I don't like penalizing people just for putting their name on their entry...
That's something to think about if I run MAGL X3.
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Re: VLDC9 - valuables lucratively deceiving cerebrums 9

Post by Mata Hari »

I honestly think anonymous judging is a good idea but I can see why it would make things more of a pain in the arse
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Re: VLDC9 - valuables lucratively deceiving cerebrums 9

Post by ft029 »

I used to support it, but now I realize it isn't really that worthy of a variable to keep. If we get rid of all the variables, then we can simply have DQ'd or in the contest. No confusing penalties. e.g. use ASM or not meet the deadline = disqualification.
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Re: VLDC9 - vagabonds leading decathlons competently 9

Post by Stink Terios »

I'm surprised raocow didn't notice how WOOD N BLOCKS is SMB3 1-1 but remixed. The secret exit is even in the white block!
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Re: VLDC9 - vagabonds leading decathlons competently 9

Post by S.N.N. »

Wood N Blocks is my second favorite level in the grass world after Ruin of Cupidity. It's straightforward, but has a lot of neat little throwbacks to SMB3, and it both plays nicely and is pleasant to look at.

Tomorrow's level is pretty cool too, though one of the Dragon Coins is a bit of a pain to find if I recall.
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Re: VLDC9 - vagabonds leading decathlons competently 9

Post by Arctangent »

how the hell did that level get so low in aesthetics
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Re: VLDC9 - vagabonds leading decathlons competently 9

Post by Lockirby2 »

I like how the puffer fish on the world map tracks your movements when you walk around.

Wood N Blocks' secret exit was the last exit that I beat in the main part of the contest because I was careless and forgot that it had a secret exit the first time through.

All three levels were pretty fun, but not "contest-winning" fun.
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Re: VLDC9 - vagabonds leading decathlons competently 9

Post by Nimono »

Arctangent wrote:how the hell did that level get so low in aesthetics
7.75 is NOT low. (Unless you mean the first one.)
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Re: VLDC9 - vagabonds leading decathlons competently 9

Post by Eminus »

Stink Terios wrote:I'm surprised raocow didn't notice how WOOD N BLOCKS is SMB3 1-1 but remixed. The secret exit is even in the white block!
Whoa dude I had no idea either! That's actually pretty neat
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Re: VLDC9 - vagabonds leading decathlons competently 9

Post by FrozenQuills »

got the comments again

79th: PEACEFUL GRASSLANDS by yoshi9429
Nimono
DESIGN: 17/30
CREATIVITY: 10/20
AESTHETICS: 4/10
TOTAL: 31/60
The palette for this level doesn't work that well, in my opinion; it's a bit too green, too bright, with little color variation. On top of that, the “gimmick” with Yoshi being able to walk on ropes but not Mario is underutilized and not explained; when I went through the level, I actually thought they were the normal platforms they were in the original game, and thus getting the Yoshi would lead you to being stuck without a way to get out. Whenever you do stuff like this, you should always make sure to let the player know about it beforehand, preferably by showing it off in a way that makes it obvious how it will work.

ninja boy
DESIGN: 14/30
CREATIVITY: 10/20
AESTHETICS: 7/10
TOTAL: 31/60
Not a bad level at all but nothing really stood out to me all too much about it, though I could see this as an official level so you have that going for you.

Eternity
DESIGN: 14/30
CREATIVITY: 12/20
AESTHETICS: 6/10
TOTAL: 32/60
Decent level, but I don't think the muncher placement helped the level in any way - some of them actually made a few jumps unnecessarily awkward to do (the ones right at the start, for example). Design-wise it's not bad, but as many other levels doesn't have anything unique to it either.

Koopster
DESIGN: 17/30
CREATIVITY: 11/20
AESTHETICS: 6/10
TOTAL: 34/60
Overall, a nice little level. I see you made the shell kickers and triangles the main theme, but you didn't really develop on it too well... it doesn't get more tricky or complex to dodge them as the level progresses. One thing I liked was the little secret exit detour. I thought you were going somewhere with those ropes, but you just abandoned them on the second half.

55th: THE ACTION IS GO by Sockbat Replica
Nimono
DESIGN: 14/30
CREATIVITY: 11/20
AESTHETICS: 7/10
TOTAL: 32/60
Erm... There's little room for error in this level. You have to act fast, work fast, BE fast. A bit much to ask of the player.

ninja boy
DESIGN: 15/30
CREATIVITY: 14/20
AESTHETICS: 5/10
TOTAL: 34/60
This is a nice rompy athletic level though I feel it could have been made with more emphasis on the actual action part with forcing the player to always be moving.

Eternity
DESIGN: 16/30
CREATIVITY: 16/20
AESTHETICS: 6/10
TOTAL: 38/60
Surprisingly accurate title. The concept is fairly interesting, but I feel it could be executed better or expanded on a bit more - there are some fairly fast-paced sections, but there's a fairly huge amount of buffer inbetween and the level's fairly short, so I feel it ends up with little substance right now. It's still a solid level, though, so nice job.

Koopster
DESIGN: 24/30
CREATIVITY: 14/20
AESTHETICS: 7/10
TOTAL: 45/60
Short and intense! Though I do think that even for its difficulty, it could have been made a little longer. It ends a bit too suddenly! Also, it's kinda too bad that the very easy to get cape nerfs the second half completely D:

36th: WOOD N BLOCKS by hammerguy
Nimono
DESIGN: 20/30
CREATIVITY: 14/20
AESTHETICS: 6/10
TOTAL: 40/60
Liked how this level felt like SMB3! It was a fun romp, really liked the bonus room where you hit the P-Switch and you get a '9'. Although, the design feels a little uninspired otherwise, and the secret exit is kinda annoying to figure out...

ninja boy
DESIGN: 12/30
CREATIVITY: 12/20
AESTHETICS: 8/10
TOTAL: 32/60
This was a fun level and very reminiscent of SMB3 but being reminiscent it also shared IMO a big flaw which is flat design that becomes very repetitive and a little boring over time. The aesthetics are nice a work very well together but the blocks could of stood to be less busy with a less heavy texture.

Eternity
DESIGN: 20/30
CREATIVITY: 17/20
AESTHETICS: 8/10
TOTAL: 45/60
A simple SMB3-styled level. It doesn't do anything special, but it works. Design feels a lot like something that could be in a Mario game, and aesthetically it's simple but effective, specially for a vanilla level.

Koopster
DESIGN: 23/30
CREATIVITY: 14/20
AESTHETICS: 9/10
TOTAL: 46/60
Hah, didn't see a SMB3 remake coming in the VLDC of all places. Good job with this! It's just too bad that there's not much new in this, since it is, essentially, based off of an existing stage. I think you adapted it really well to vanilla SMW though, like with the chucks and ESPECIALLY with the secret exit. Very outstanding job on replicating SMB3 and SMB1 with vanilla graphics and then mixing them together.
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Re: VLDC9 - vernal landmarks dyed cerulean 9

Post by Grounder »

oboy tomorrow is world 1 part 2
Why don't you eat me?

I am perfectly tasty...

AND I'LL STEAL YOUR SOUL! :twisted:

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Re: VLDC9 - vernal landmarks dyed cerulean 9

Post by Koopster »

aight I'm back, health constraints

59th: AZUL FORTRESS by Coolmario
PENALTY REASONING: -2 for author leak
Nimono
DESIGN: 25/30
CREATIVITY: 15/20
AESTHETICS: 10/10
TOTAL: 50/60
Fun! Although, quite difficult in some spots... Still, fun!

ninja boy
DESIGN: 13/30
CREATIVITY: 14/20
AESTHETICS: 5/10
TOTAL: 32/60
Not a bad level at all nothing to special felt like a later game castle but it was fun to play.

Eternity
DESIGN: 18/30
CREATIVITY: 15/20
AESTHETICS: 7/10
TOTAL: 40/60
Decent entry overall, has some nice design and the length seems to be fine too. It just lacks something to make it stand out, as many others. Aesthetics are also pretty nice. Also, I think the outside sections were a lot more interesting than the inside ones as well, both design-wise and aesthetic-wise.

Koopster
DESIGN: 14/30
CREATIVITY: 11/20
AESTHETICS: 8/10
TOTAL: 33/60
I was pretty fine with this level at first, but in the end, I realised how it gave me a bit of trouble. Firstly, one powerup in each half is very few powerups. It made a level that's otherwise not that tricky or long feel rather stressful. The dragon coins are really tricky to get compared to what's around them in the first half of the level, but after the midpoint the difficulty just rockets, with a few odd spikes. That jump right before the pipe taking to the final castle area is really annoying! So yeah, in general, this level looks good, it is designed nicely (even though it's a bit unfocused), but it really could use more powerups and an adjustment in a few obstacles.


I didn't like this level very much because the difficulty is kinda all over the place with some awkard spikes here and there. That three platforms jump is reaallyy annoying, and I also got hit by that megaspike attached to the wall near the end.
It's a nice level but it could use more powerups tbh!

Also the map team appreciates the compliments! (it was a huge collaboration of 7-8 people, that's why there's a lot of tiny details here and there)
As the main map designer I did strive for making the worlds have a climatic ending, and I'm very glad it worked out so far!! Mountain has turned out the best in that regard in my opinion.

EDIT: OH YEAH raocow you might have trouble with tomorrow's dragon coins so here's a hint:

look for a grayer black door

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Re: VLDC9 - vernal landmarks dyed cerulean 9

Post by watho »

The remix in WOOD N BLOCKS is super familiar to me and I don't know why. (I know what it is a remix of, just to make that clear)
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Re: VLDC9 - vernal landmarks dyed cerulean 9

Post by Lazy_ »

The music in Azul Fortress is something the author made himself. It's a shame it's mostly just a bunch of ideas strung together, but I really like the individual parts.
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Re: VLDC9 - vernal landmarks dyed cerulean 9

Post by ft029 »

in tomorrow's episode: ninja boy compares super good levels with "Short Cave"
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Re: VLDC9 - vernal landmarks dyed cerulean 9

Post by raocow »

I, uh, tomorrow's video is actually kind of a thing.


OH MAN THE SUSPENSE
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Re: VLDC9 - vernal landmarks dyed cerulean 9

Post by Grounder »

raocow wrote:I, uh, tomorrow's video is actually kind of a thing.


OH MAN THE SUSPENSE
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Re: VLDC9 - vernal landmarks dyed cerulean 9

Post by FrozenQuills »

raocow wrote:I, uh, tomorrow's video is actually kind of a thing.


OH MAN THE SUSPENSE
if it's a one level video, I understand.
if it's a two level video, I'm terrified :shock:
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Re: VLDC9 - vernal landmarks dyed cerulean 9

Post by Mikkofier »

raocow wrote:I, uh, tomorrow's video is actually kind of a thing.
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Re: VLDC9 - vernal landmarks dyed cerulean 9

Post by Lockirby2 »

Azul Fortress was fairly fun, but I don't think the coin guides in the second half worked too well.
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Re: VLDC9 - vernal landmarks dyed cerulean 9

Post by Zephyr_DragonLord »

The end of World Grass felt like the end of a real world in Mario, as paradoxical as it sounds.
Azul Fortress was solid, and had a stiff challenge with a variety of obstacles. Those Dragon Coins are a big challenge to get, it seems. Feels right at home in the lategame.

Peaceful Grasslands was... nice. Those ropes seem rather odd, but nothing really terrible jumped out at me.

The Action is Go feels like a JUMP level to me, as well. And not in a bad way, either. The challenges are always there, though there is a bit of downtime between them. If that was removed without hurting difficulty, this would be even better.

Wood'N Blocks is a nice remastering of SMB3 to SMW. It feels rather natural, and that secret exit was incredibly well done. It takes me back to those days... nice job with that.
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Re: VLDC9 - vernal landmarks dyed cerulean 9

Post by lolyoshi »

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The pale black door

on the left (which isn't a palette error)

is where the last dragon coin is.
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Re: VLDC9 - vexatious loot devotional cliffs 9

Post by FrozenQuills »

Fun fact: I was also stumped on the last dragon coin in this level during my beta testing, but there is in fact five of them. It kinda sucks that it makes this level a bit annoying to figure out in terms of getting everything.

A second hint:

Look for something out of place in one of the dragon coin rooms.

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