I'm still of the belief that this level should have won the contest for being all-around fun, creative, and beautiful aesthetically. It was my personal favorite, at least.ft029 wrote:Interplanetary uses dirt formations, bones sticking out of the ground, and other A E S T H E T I C features in a non-horrible way in my opinion.
VLDC9 - vanilla level design contest 9
Re: VLDC9 - veneered liners diverse coasts 9
Re: VLDC9 - veneered liners diverse coasts 9
I think y'all overreact too much over dirt formations and shit sometimes. Overdecorating doesn't make a level look good, but in most cases it barely hinders the experience.
I think Pyro's level looks perfectly alright. There's just a few in the mountain world that I'd call horrid.
30th: MAPLE ISLAND by Falconpunch
13th: TRIANGLE SHIP by Skewer
I think Pyro's level looks perfectly alright. There's just a few in the mountain world that I'd call horrid.
30th: MAPLE ISLAND by Falconpunch
13th: TRIANGLE SHIP by Skewer
- SAJewers
- ASMBXT Level Wrangler/A2XT Project Coordinator /AAT Level Designer
- Posts: 4218
- Joined: 12 years ago
- Location: Nova Scotia
Re: VLDC9 - veneered liners diverse coasts 9
I like the little things like small decorations and things like sprite outlines. It's when you start putting things like the monty mole dirt, things that look like level elements and not decoration, that annoys me.
Re: VLDC9 - veneered liners diverse coasts 9
I think the whole obsession with dirt triangles/formations traces back to him anyway. A lot of people mistakenly followed his Hacks 101 thing to a tee, and it's a habit that still hasn't fully died yet. Thankfully, most people have gotten out of it, but a few still think saturating the level in awkward geometry looks better than it really does.SAJewers wrote:is dirt formations the new Tails555 land formations?
Re: VLDC9 - vociferous loveliness dusty commons 9
I noticed, but I did it deliberately to check if it would happen.Mata Hari wrote:I suspect you weren't supposed to be smishable in the boat level but nobody noticed it could happen except you
gg
The first level was a decent romp in terms of gameplay, but it's really hard for a romp to be "contest winning" tier IMO. 10/10 on the aesthetics though.
Triangle Ship is a level where the overall concept is great, but individual obstacles really need some work IMO. The outdoor areas were definitely stronger than the indoor areas due to the rising and sinking of the ship, but there was very little on the inside that felt new or impressive. Some parts just felt like there were a bunch of Boos dropped around. The level ends up being better than the sum of its parts, but still not 60/60 or 57/60 IMO.
As for stuff in the dirt, I do think it's a good way to add aesthetics to the level, but it's also overused by this point. Using Monty Mole dirt in a level with Monty Moles is also a bad idea.
Re: VLDC9 - veneered liners diverse coasts 9
quote of the day presented by
Koopster's judging wrote:I wouldn't sacrifice BG scrolling for a sun but alas
Mosts Awards:
- worldpeace125
- Posts: 262
- Joined: 11 years ago
Re: VLDC9 - veneered liners diverse coasts 9
Overdecorating usually distracts players from focusing on the main component of game play like obstacles. It becomes even worse especially when it's difficult for players to determine the properties of objects they see, for example, whether a tile is solid or not. I agree that good aesthetic can make a level better, but only when it's done well; I felt there were many levels where decorations were done improperly, sometimes ruining the level as well. (today's levels were mostly fine with respect to aesthetics imo)Koopster wrote:I think y'all overreact too much over dirt formations and shit sometimes. Overdecorating doesn't make a level look good, but in most cases it barely hinders the experience.
I still think there are some levels of nice aesthetic of course, and they deserve good scores for that. I just wanted to point out that overdecoration usually turns out pretty bad to one type of players like me who tries to parse the screen fast and rush through obstacles.
And yeah I agree that adding arbitrary objects to dirt could hardly make anything better. They are just cheap decorations if carelessly inserted.
- Stink Terios
- Posts: 577
- Joined: 12 years ago
Re: VLDC9 - veneered liners diverse coasts 9
Peach Beach is totally a stealth- Kirby level remake, isn't it?
Anyway, I think we're gonna see a bad example of overdecoration real soon.
Anyway, I think we're gonna see a bad example of overdecoration real soon.
Re: VLDC9 - veneered liners diverse coasts 9
So "overdecorating" is the mismatched graphics and/or cutoff of SMW hacking, huh?
Why don't you eat me?
I am perfectly tasty...
AND I'LL STEAL YOUR SOUL!
I am perfectly tasty...
AND I'LL STEAL YOUR SOUL!
Re: VLDC9 - veneered liners diverse coasts 9
Just a warning.
There is a level with green orb door soon.
I have no idea why it has it, it's only slightly above average.
Like, to a point where I think rest of resort world will be trickier than that.
There is a level with green orb door soon.
I have no idea why it has it, it's only slightly above average.
Like, to a point where I think rest of resort world will be trickier than that.
- snoruntpyro
- cutest girl 2023
- Posts: 884
- Joined: 9 years ago
- Pronouns: she/her
- Contact:
Re: VLDC9 - veneered liners diverse coasts 9
yogui here, talking on behalf of a guy. About my level:
It originaly had the music from Aquaplanet that fitted better, but was changed for the collab due to limited space.
I made it in the sunset because sunset are nice colors. And so when you exit the cave sunset is gone and it's the night.
Transparent water and sky gradient is nice. Because of that there's no background. I could have used a custom layer 3 background but didn't know at the time how they really work (it's still a "new" lunar magic feature for me).
Mmh there's some things I could've changed like the ambush lotus at the end and others little things, but I'm pretty happy with the results.
I made this level for fun, didn't cared about my placing. But knew I would not place too low because this level is nice.
The flame appearing on the pillars when getting the 5 dragon coins is just a nice little touch. I first wanted to do something more crazy and make fireworks appears but it was too hard. Maybe for a next level.
nice
Sort of. Not a remake but this is heavily inspired by Aquaplanet from Kirby Superstar. You can recognize it with the first part with half water and the bubble cave.Stink Terios wrote:Peach Beach is totally a stealth- Kirby level remake, isn't it?
It originaly had the music from Aquaplanet that fitted better, but was changed for the collab due to limited space.
I made it in the sunset because sunset are nice colors. And so when you exit the cave sunset is gone and it's the night.
Transparent water and sky gradient is nice. Because of that there's no background. I could have used a custom layer 3 background but didn't know at the time how they really work (it's still a "new" lunar magic feature for me).
Mmh there's some things I could've changed like the ambush lotus at the end and others little things, but I'm pretty happy with the results.
I made this level for fun, didn't cared about my placing. But knew I would not place too low because this level is nice.
The flame appearing on the pillars when getting the 5 dragon coins is just a nice little touch. I first wanted to do something more crazy and make fireworks appears but it was too hard. Maybe for a next level.
nice
- FrozenQuills
- hehe haha 2024
- Posts: 843
- Joined: 9 years ago
- Location: my skull
Re: VLDC9 - vaporish lagoons delightful chucks 9
Riverside Canopy I feel is pretty nice, actually. It's not often you see chucks and turn blocks used creatively and so extensively in a level, and it's pretty fun. It could have placed a bit higher.
Peach Beach originally had Kirby music, and it is very inspired from the Kirby games itself with its gimmicks. I really liked that level as well; the beach parts are very open and nice looking, and the bubble part is unique and cool.
Nightswimming is one of my favorites in the contest. Many people expected the gimmick of backtracking without water, but I still found it impressive to try to design a level that's playable both forwards/underwater and backwards/above water. It also looks amazing.
Also one of raocow's favorite designers is coming up and I'm excited... :)
Peach Beach originally had Kirby music, and it is very inspired from the Kirby games itself with its gimmicks. I really liked that level as well; the beach parts are very open and nice looking, and the bubble part is unique and cool.
Nightswimming is one of my favorites in the contest. Many people expected the gimmick of backtracking without water, but I still found it impressive to try to design a level that's playable both forwards/underwater and backwards/above water. It also looks amazing.
Also one of raocow's favorite designers is coming up and I'm excited... :)
avatar by crayonchewer!
- Zephyr_DragonLord
- The dragon awakens...!
- Posts: 1047
- Joined: 8 years ago
- First name: Zach
- Location: Somewhere between dreams and dormancy
Re: VLDC9 - veneered liners diverse coasts 9
raorao made a hokey-pokermans reference?!?1 oh man!1!
Alright, more level judging. I liked this bunch even better than the last one, and that's an accomplishment... Water World is good world, it seems.
Riverbed Canopy is Charlie central, but it really isn't that bad. There was a bit of yelling of "raocow! You can spin jump. That's a good thing to clear block walls..." But you know what? That's also what makes him the perfect playtester. He's so stubborn that he finds ways to break thing purely on accident, or find problems with the intended solution. But most of this level's problems in comparison to others is pretty sublime, which is really telling us how important the little things are these days. Even though you can argue that there isn't much room to dodge.
The following level, Peach Beach, is a perfect example of this in action. While it might take inspiration from Kirby, the pink water really fits the level, and the air bubbles look REALLY nice. And it plays perfectly naturally, too. And the ending is beautiful. yogui, you made a good level this time, and I commend you for it. Also, this feels right at home in a full video game.
Nightswimming manages to be even better than Peach Beach, which took me by total surprise. The moon is just great. Looks great, feels great... This level's a beautiful thing, and pretty much every part was well thought-out. Going through the same area twice, and making it fresh as well is a genius move, and again, this feels like it belongs in a quality game. Great job here.
Alright, more level judging. I liked this bunch even better than the last one, and that's an accomplishment... Water World is good world, it seems.
Riverbed Canopy is Charlie central, but it really isn't that bad. There was a bit of yelling of "raocow! You can spin jump. That's a good thing to clear block walls..." But you know what? That's also what makes him the perfect playtester. He's so stubborn that he finds ways to break thing purely on accident, or find problems with the intended solution. But most of this level's problems in comparison to others is pretty sublime, which is really telling us how important the little things are these days. Even though you can argue that there isn't much room to dodge.
The following level, Peach Beach, is a perfect example of this in action. While it might take inspiration from Kirby, the pink water really fits the level, and the air bubbles look REALLY nice. And it plays perfectly naturally, too. And the ending is beautiful. yogui, you made a good level this time, and I commend you for it. Also, this feels right at home in a full video game.
Nightswimming manages to be even better than Peach Beach, which took me by total surprise. The moon is just great. Looks great, feels great... This level's a beautiful thing, and pretty much every part was well thought-out. Going through the same area twice, and making it fresh as well is a genius move, and again, this feels like it belongs in a quality game. Great job here.
I am prone to almost everything... except spontaneous violence.
Any questions, concerns, or aspirations you have with me can go to the PM box... Now here's a quote:
(It was about time)
Any questions, concerns, or aspirations you have with me can go to the PM box... Now here's a quote:
raocow wrote:I know there is a population on Earth. They like to populate. I like to gesticulate. We're friends!
(It was about time)
Re: VLDC9 - vaporish lagoons delightful chucks 9
I in fact agree with you. I just think there aren't that many examples of aesthetics that hinder gameplay in this contest. A bunch of levels are very overdecorated but not in a hindering way.worldpeace wrote:things
But I did forget about the probably most glaring example in the resort lol
79th: RIVERBED CANOPY by MercuryPenny
28th: PEACH BEACH by yogui
11th: NIGHTSWIMMING by WhiteYoshiEgg
getting the hang of posting these from my phone kinda. aaaaa
Riverbed Canopy has a neat concept, but it felt bland in execution to me. I think it wouldn't hurt to use enemies other than chucks and koopas and mix other concepts and gimmicks in.
PEACH BEACH, originally capitals, it pretty simple but good, which I believe is exactly what it strived to be!
Nightswimming I was a bit underwhelmed about, probably because I had made a level exactly like this in the past, which wasn't very good. I knew this was the gimmick the moment I saw the first screen and I wasn't very impressed by the execution honestly. It's still not a bad level. I think 50, maybe one or two points less, suits it well.
!!! raocow !!!, if you think you do not deserve to make a one level video because of dragon coins again, read this spoiler:
there's one dragon coin in the midpoint room
And after tomorrow's first level you'll be presented with an extremely interesting choice :o
Re: VLDC9 - veneered liners diverse coasts 9
Never understood why it was green door'ed either. I think there were plans to remove the door in 1.11, but it was overlooked.GlitchMr wrote:Just a warning.
There is a level with green orb door soon.
I have no idea why it has it, it's only slightly above average.
Like, to a point where I think rest of resort world will be trickier than that.
Granted, there is one particular room in it that is really, really stupid and obnoxious (the falling one), but the rest of it is great. That room alone is probably why the score was brought down.
Re: VLDC9 - vaporish lagoons delightful chucks 9
ninja boy truly is the master of understatementninja boy wrote:Fun multiple type level with both land and water
We're now rapidly approaching my favorite level in this world.... Normally I can't be bothered with hard levels, but this one manages to be compact enough to make dying less painful. (with the exception of one of the last rooms)
Re: VLDC9 - vaporish lagoons delightful chucks 9
All this talk about ugly ground decorations and no one brings up the godawful half a question/cement block buried at surface level?
- Le Neveu de Rameau
- I'm a hoobsie roller; I got robots in my life
- Posts: 994
- Joined: 8 years ago
- First name: Rameau's Nephew
- Location: Gettin' gibbly with the business
Re: VLDC9 - vaporish lagoons delightful chucks 9
It seems the municipal authorities tend to get a touch peeved when you go around uprooting paving slabs.Ometeotl wrote:All this talk about ugly ground decorations and no one brings up the godawful half a question/cement block buried at surface level?
- SAJewers
- ASMBXT Level Wrangler/A2XT Project Coordinator /AAT Level Designer
- Posts: 4218
- Joined: 12 years ago
- Location: Nova Scotia
Re: VLDC9 - vaporish lagoons delightful chucks 9
never understood that, tbhOmeteotl wrote:All this talk about ugly ground decorations and no one brings up the godawful half a question/cement block buried at surface level?
- FrozenQuills
- hehe haha 2024
- Posts: 843
- Joined: 9 years ago
- Location: my skull
Re: VLDC9 - vaporish lagoons delightful chucks 9
All this talk about needless/mindless decor reminds me of a certain level in Super Famicom world...
Can't wait for raocow to reach that one lol
Can't wait for raocow to reach that one lol
avatar by crayonchewer!
Re: VLDC9 - vaporish lagoons delightful chucks 9
I too prefer my levels to have color.ninja boy wrote:The aesthetics weren't anything special but the use of color made up for it
Nightswimming was one of my favorite levels and I'm disappointed it just barely missed best world.
Re: VLDC9 - vaporish lagoons delightful chucks 9
Huh, you were still a Machinima partner all this time until now? Who knew. I just assumed you quietly quit that some months ago (after you got onto Patreon). It's not like Machinima ever made it's presence known, except for that one time they privatized the majority of your vids (with good intention).
Speaking of that privatization incident, there were still 2 vids that were left private. I guess it's alright to make them public again, eh?
Would you care to give more details on those policy changes? I don't really pay attention to Machinima, but I am curious what the prompt was.
Speaking of that privatization incident, there were still 2 vids that were left private. I guess it's alright to make them public again, eh?
Would you care to give more details on those policy changes? I don't really pay attention to Machinima, but I am curious what the prompt was.
-Banned in Antarctica
Official raocow subscriber # 30,000Sebby19 wrote:If your life depends on throwing up, switch to the keyboard