Ends 04/01/2012 12:00 AM

Judges
halibabica

It's finally here! The much-anticipated third installment of the RMN community series! And this time, halibabica's in charge!

WHAT IS THIS

Super RMN Bros. is a community collaborative game where everyone uses the Super Mario Bros. X engine to create Mario levels! The stages are made and submitted by members of RMN, then compiled into one big game at the end of the event. Huzzah!

WHAT YOU NEED TO PARTICIPATE

Super Mario Bros. X v1.3, available at the Download link. This is the latest version of SMBX. It has everything you need to get started from the player, the editor, and a sample world.

You can also download the SMBX Graphics Pack by Red Yoshi here. It has a ton of Mario Brothers graphics that you can use in your level with a simple copy+paste!

JUST WHAT IS SUPER MARIO BROTHERS X?

Super Mario Bros X is a freeware game engine by Redigit geared towards having the gameplay features and physics of Mario 3 and Super Mario World while adding a ton of cool features and not having to deal with the restrictions of the old (S)NES hardware. If you want to see what SMBX can do, check out the games here on RMN or watch these videos showcasing SMBX's capabilities!

Games are distributed as a world with levels package they can add to Super Mario Bros X and play from the main game. There is no way to make a self contained game so all players will need to download SMBX in order to even play the game. The game does come with a large set of graphics and sounds like the RPG Maker RTPs so everybody at least has a large number of platformer resources to work with (and it'll keep the download of the actual game itself small).

You can view the RMN engine page for SMBX here.

HELP!

The editor can be tricky to use, especially for beginners. You can ask questions on our SMBX Help thread on our forums! If you have any questions go there for some tips or helpful links.

We also have a tutorials section on RMN for SMBX.

SUBMISSION RULES

  • Levels must be made in SMBX v1.3 .
  • I don't know if you've ever made Mario levels before. There are dozens of hacks and roms out there, so it's possible you've played custom levels or created your own. However, this project is being made specifically in the SMBX engine, so if you want to contribute, you have to use that. You can download it here.

  • Levels must be made FOR THIS PROJECT
  • So, you've used SMBX before, huh? Hey, you can just submit levels you already made! Right? WRONG. If you didn't make the level specifically for RMN Bros. 3, you're not allowed to submit it. Do not just zip up the levels of your personal project and dump them in here (Davenport, I'm looking at you). Everyone has to start from scratch. And if I catch you trying to submit a pre-made level, ooh, I'll, I'LL- ...deny it. Simple as that, really.

  • Levels must end in ONE SMB3 STAR
  • Starman doesn't work in SMBX like it does in the Mario games of yore. Each one you collect instead adds to your star count. There are two kinds of stars in the engine: SMB3 stars and SMW stars. The latter adds to your star count, but doesn't end the level. The former concludes the stage when collected. Each level must have ONE and ONLY ONE level-ending star. However, you can have any number of SMW stars (covered later).

  • There is no limit to the number of levels you can submit.
  • Beyond these four rules, the sky's just about the limit. There are a few other criteria your levels must meet for them to be accepted, but they're nothing huge, and are as follows.

LEVEL CRITERIA

  1. Checkpoints
  2. Theoretically, every level should have one of these. It's the SMW checkpoint object that lets you continue from partway through the level. Unless your level is extremely short, it should have one. If it can't have one for specific reasons (auto-scrolling, switch block/character shenanigans, etc.), it's recommended you not make the stage too long. Also, SMBX can only support one checkpoint per level, so placing multiples doesn't work.

  3. Power-Ups
  4. Your stage should have a good balance of items that are helpful to the player. ? Blocks should never contain lone Mushrooms; don't be afraid to give the player a Fire Flower or Leaf. On the other hand, exceptional items like the Tanooki and Hammer Suits should not be easily obtained. Use discretion with where you place items. One at the start and one after the checkpoint would be the least you could do. Also, pick items that the player can put to good use. A Fire Flower in an area with monsters immune to fire does the player no good; maybe an Ice Flower or Yoshi might be better instead. On the subject of Yoshi, he's a power-up like any other, and no restrictions are being placed on his use. Similarly, all styles of Kuribo's Shoe are allowed. Just remember, these things are very helpful, so choose carefully where you make them available.

  5. Banned Objects
  6. Your level must not contain any of the following items. If it does, you will be required to remove them.

    • SMB2 Crystal Ball, SMB3 Roulette, SMB3 ? Ball, SMW Keyhole, SMW Exit Gate
    • All banned for the same reason; they end the level. All levels must end with an SMB3 Star. No other exit type is allowed.

    • SMW Bowser Statue
    • Banned due to its glitchy hit box. You can still be hit by its fireballs while standing on top of it. Use the SMB3 Bowser Statue instead!

    • SMW Dry Bones
    • Banned for its stupid hit box. You may place Dry Bones in your level, but all Dry Bones in the project will use the SMB3 sprites instead.

  7. Unbanned Objects
  8. These are objects that were disallowed in the past. I'm permitting them for the reasons stated.

    • SMB3 Lakitu
    • This was banned in RMN Bros. 2 because it behaves erratically. You may use them in your levels, but be very careful when you do. They aren't impossible to deal with, but they can make situations extremely difficult. You'll definitely hear from me if it's a problem.

    • SMW Star
    • These were formerly banned because they didn't end the level. You may now use them as bonus secret stars in your stages. The player can collect them on alternate paths, but must be able to return to the rest of the level after grabbing them. More on these later.

  9. Different Characters
  10. This is, first and foremost, a Mario game. Mario will be the only character available to play as, but that doesn't mean you can't use the other characters. If you want to make a stage involving Luigi, Toad, Peach, and/or Link, you must specify so. Include the appropriate character block at the start. If you don't, I'll assume the stage was meant to be played as Mario. You don't have to switch back to Mario at the end of the stage, though. I will manage character swapping in the hub area.

  11. Player 2 Start
  12. SMBX has the option to play with a friend by sharing a keyboard and crowding around a monitor. There is no way to disallow a multiplayer game, so be sure to include both P1 and P2's start positions in your levels. HOWEVER, this is all you need to do to accommodate the second player. Making a balanced one-player game is difficult enough, so don't sweat it if something doesn't quite work for multi-mode. I'm not checking two player compatibility; you don't have to either.

  13. Secret Stars
  14. Each stage must have only one SMB3 level-ending star, but you can have (almost) as many SMW stars you want. Before you go throwing secret stars everywhere, though, you should understand how they work. The most important thing to know is that you can only have one star per section of a level. That's not my rule; that's a quirk of SMBX. It can only register one star per stage section, as it flags all stars in that section as 'collected' if one of them is found. Because this is the case, any secret stars you place must be in different sections than the star that ends the level. Incidentally, this also means the most stars any level can have is 21. Don't worry; if you mess it up, I'll tell you about it!

  15. Water Must be SWIMMABLE

    You can set waterfalls to either be swimmable or not, but ordinary water must always be. Don't fill your pits with water if they're supposed to be bottomless.

  16. Misc. Stuff
    • Pipes, Doors, and Carry Items
    • By default, all entrances in SMBX are set to disallow the player from carrying an item with them through the portal. If your level has objects the player may want to bring with them, be sure to set your entrances properly.

    • One-Tile Passages
    • Avoid making paths that are only one tile high. If Mario stands up in one, he zips through the wall in the opposite direction he's facing. In some places, this isn't a problem, but in others it can break the game. Spare my telling you to fix it and avoid creating such circumstances.

    • Ceilings
    • If you're making a water level or Mario is able to fly, you may want to block the area off the top of the screen so the player can't soar over everything. In aquatic stages, one could swim past everything from up there, so it's extremely important to include (same goes for underwater pits, actually). Of helpful note: one block placed above or below a level's boundary will create an impassable wall.

STORY AND TUTORIALS

Nothing too complicated here. Mario, Luigi, Toad, Peach, and Link have fallen into RMN's Pit of Challenges, where they must collect the stars from our levels if they ever hope to escape. The main villain is not Bowser, Wart, Kamek, Aristocrab, or anyone seen yet in the world of Mario. I will be making the final level myself, and the final boss is...me! Because by the time this is over, you will all want to kill me.

I will also be making a tutorial level that explains the mechanics of SMBX, covering both the basics and the advanced stuff. So don't bother explaining to the player how to break blocks with their tail or spin jump on Thwomps. I've got it covered!

TESTING AND FEEDBACK

This iteration of RMN Bros. is going to put greater emphasis on play testing and providing feedback for levels. I will be playing each level personally and leaving feedback the developers can use to improve their stages. My feedback will be divided into three categories:

  • Deal Breakers
  • These are things you MUST CHANGE or your level WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. These include all variety of game breaking errors and poor balance/design. I will provide thoughts and ideas on how to fix these, depending on the complexity of the problem.

  • If-You-Don'ts
  • These are things that, if you don't change them, I will. These include things like levels without checkpoints, blocks containing only mushrooms, or levels with unfitting power-ups. If you don't make these corrections, I'll see to them in the end.

  • Nitpicks
  • These are small complaints of low importance. Things that would make the level look or feel nicer, but aren't really a problem on their own. These will most likely be aesthetic in nature, and they don't have to be changed for the level to be accepted.

    Although I will be testing each level thoroughly myself, I strongly encourage others to do the same. You don't have to follow the same methods of providing feedback I am (in fact, you don't really have the authority to!), but every bit of criticism helps.

ADDITIONAL STAFFERS

This is a big project, and it's very bold of me to be managing it alone. That's why I'm leaving open two spots for other users to join me in running the show. But you can't just sign up and say "Hey hali I'll be your game management bro." You have to PROVE YOUR WORTH. How, you might ask? By playing levels and leaving feedback! The more in-depth, the better. Show me you have what it takes to contribute to this project, and I'll let you in. If you can't handle the work, I have no reason to hire you.

Duties of these staffers would include testing others levels and leaving feedback, as well as helping refine my own stages, tutorial, hubs, and so forth. I'm a tough critic, but even I can't face my own work alone!

PROJECT TIMELINE

Signups begin NOW, and EVERYONE is free to join! The project will run for one month (thirty days), and levels may be submitted for testing during this time. When the month is up, no more levels will be accepted. Existing levels may still be updated based on feedback. I will do my best to have the whole thing compiled just one week after the event ends. Then we can download and enjoy!

Registration

You must be logged in to sign up for Super RMN Bros. 3.

Posts

I have already got 1 level almost done.
It needs some fine tuning but, otherwise it should be good to go.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16948
from apa649
I have already got 1 level almost done.
It needs some fine tuning but, otherwise it should be good to go.

Cool! When it's ready, click 'Submit' at the top of the event page. Then I can download it and help you fine tune it more by tearing it completely to shreds!
I have a good start on my first level and surprise surprise it's Zelda stuff. It will have the Link character block but will be playable as Mario too.

One thing I will mention is that everyone NEEDS to test their level checkpoint. When running through your stage, get to the end and die. Then retry at the checkpoint to make sure everything works from there. Some events get reset and can ruin the level. I've had this happen a number of times. If you have 0 events then it's not likely an issue, but it will affect the colored ! outline blocks.

*edit: Did you tweak Ghosthouse Blues at all? I remember that climbing block phasing in/out part to be too tedious near the top. It should be made slightly easier. Too much jumping on invisible single blocks for my liking. But w/e. I was still able to beat it.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16948
I didn't tweak anything in Ghosthouse Blues. I thought the invisible blocks were tedious too, but that was before I noticed they were mirrored on the other side. Then I was like 'oh COOL!' and all was rainbows and butterflies.

I tweaked Ghostwall by exactly one pixel (and changed the exit gate to a star).

I patched up a lot of dumb stuff in Gloom Catacombs. There was an entire unused section full of crud in the .lvl file, and over half the resources in its folder weren't even used. I knocked a huge chunk off its file size deleting the extras. I fixed several sprites as well. It's actually a pretty good example of the difference my 'If-You-Don'ts' feedback can make.
author=halibabica
The reason I chose RMN's Pit of Challenges as the setting is so we don't have to make things consistent. It'll be my job to distribute and balance the stages each world features when I make the hubs. A hodgepodge is expected, and I'm taking no countermeasures whatsoever. The end result will be random as hell, but it will definitely be playable!

So I appreciate your concern, but we're not gonna worry about any most of that.


Oh... maybe I should have read the game description better before going on and on like that.

And the whole SMB2 digging thing is more aimed at SMBX than SMB2. Picking up grasses and dirt in SMBX is just... clunky?
I'll try to participate this time around.
Just saying the logo is friken awesome.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16948
You can thank Nessiah for that! She rocks.
"amazing" level review
...
Teh f***?
...
Uploaded my first level to this event.
Its probably going to be bashed pretty bad, but umm.. Enjoy?
No hidden stars
Not too difficult

Maybe a gimmick I'm not sure if 2 traps count as a gimmick? (don't worry neither is instant kill.)
Let the bashing Commence!
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16948
VICTIMS!

*hisses and pounces*

from apa649
Its probably going to be bashed pretty bad, but umm.. Enjoy?

Maybe other people might, but not I! I have the capacity to present feedback and advice tactfully, so you needn't worry much. Unless it's egregiously nightmarish, I'll keep it plenty tame.
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
6309
I think its time for a new Bob-Omb Facility!
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16948
AncientNoob’s Amazing

Deal Breakers
If You Don’ts
Nitpicks


Glad to see you taking this so seriously. It took me several dozen tries, but I did manage to beat this! The funny thing is that you probably could shape it into a halfway decent one-screen puzzle level. But since you’re obviously trolling, I’ll forego the feedback and leave revisions to your discretion/common sense.

apa649’s Sand Tombs

Off to a good start here!

Deal Breakers

None! Lucky you.

If You Don’ts

- 2P start position!

- A power-up right at the start. The first one isn’t too far in, but it’s best to let the player start with something.

- In the checkpoint section, there’s one tile in the top right block that isn’t right. My self-proclaimed OCD can’t ignore it.

Nitpicks

- Your power-up distribution is a bit weird. The first section has a leaf partway in, two different secret flowers before the checkpoint, an un-hidden one immediately after, and then a whole bunch just lying around fairly close together. You need to pace these better, and pick a main power-up for the stage. I’d turn all normal block power-ups to Fire Flowers, put one at the start, one partway before the checkpoint (but not immediately before), one after, and one down in the tomb somewhere. I’d recommend you hide the extras better, too. There’s no missing that Kuribo’s Shoe, and I stumbled across more secret Ice Flowers than I ever needed. Given that you have other secret power-ups, perhaps you can pick where they should go based on my next recommendation.

- Your puzzle rewards should be the special suits instead of 1-Ups. Extra lives are nice and all, but the player would expect something better for outwitting your traps, especially since they’re unlikely to do so their first try. The Hammer Suit and Tanooki Suit are well-hidden, but they’re in the kind of places you’d probably find 1-Ups instead. This makes switching things around pretty simple, actually. I’d put the Tanooki Suit after the first trap puzzle, and the Hammer Suit after the second. That’s more proportional to their usefulness. Keep risk and reward in mind!

- That said I have no idea how to reach two of your bonuses. The 1-Up at the start has me stumped, and I only know it’s there because I checked in the editor. I thought it was hidden in the high up Note block. I couldn’t reach it jumping, nor could I reach it bouncing high off a Goomba. I eventually picked up the nearby Koopa’s shell and chucked it up to hit the block, but…nothing happened because it was empty. So I couldn’t find a way to jump and hit it, let alone get on top of it. I’d move the 1-Up to inside the Note block instead, or make a more intuitive solution to reaching it where it is.

The second bonus I couldn’t get was the Tanooki Suit. I can only assume you were supposed to fly to reach it or something. This is another place that’s good for a 1-Up to be, because it’s a take-it-or-leave-it kind of reward that fits secret alcoves requiring specific power-ups to reach.

- Next, seeing how you do have those special suits hidden as rewards, they kinda dull the value of the other less-secret items you find. You could probably drop all but one of the Ice Flowers. I think the second-to-last one would be good to keep.

- The clock you need for the second trap puzzle is an inventory item for some reason. There's another clock in SMBX that activates the moment you touch it. I think that one would be better, since it won't replace the player's backup item and it's close enough to the trap that you can still get through.

- Regarding coin formations…players try to read these for hints. I spotted a T, an 8, and an F, none of which meant anything for the level. I’d jumble them up into patterns that won’t catch the player’s attention so they don’t think something’s up when it’s not.

- Make both your trap triggers red coins. The first uses a red Goomba, sure, but there's another red Goomba later that doesn’t trigger a trap. Since the second trap is more dangerous than the first, having seen a red coin spring a trap earlier would clue the player in and soften the blow if they dumbly set it off anyway.

- In the first section, there’s a rift in your sand after the first trap that just looks weird. It’d look better connected. Similarly, the tomb block at the end of the first section would look better raised even just one square above the sand next to it. That makes it seem like less of a natural formation (which it isn’t, ‘cuz tombs don’t occur naturally).

- I kept trying to slide-kill the Spinies before the P-Switch, and got hurt as a result. I’d change the slope to stairs so the player can’t mistakenly gank themselves.

- Your level is well-constructed, but kinda bland to look at. It could use more background objects to spice things up. More palm trees, cacti, and background hills in the first section would be nice. The underground part got extremely dull after a while. Hang some Phanto Masks on the walls, or maybe smash out the background tiles you used and try the SMB2 Dungeon backdrop instead.

- Roto-Discs (those glowy spinny discy thingies) should always be orbiting something. Even if it’s not a solid object, it helps the player detect the path they follow much better. As per my previous suggestion, this would be an excellent place for some Phanto Masks.

Bluh, that was a lot of nitpicks! But they were just that: nitpicks. This level’s pretty good already. I hope you take this advice and make it even better.
Thanks for the well constructed feed-back.
I agree on almost everything and I'll try to fix as many as I can. The 2p start was just me being stupid and forgetting to put it in. I'll escpecially focus on the 2nd sections background,the traps and the power-up placements.
A better version is probably going to be up tomorrow.
As for the power-ups you could not get to... if you want to know how you can get'em PRESS SHOW!. (Drum roll)
>Power-up 1 can be get by grabbing the shell and jumping over the 3 goombas, waiting for a while for them to get ahead and do a running jump off of them on top of the note block, then jumping right to solid ground,AND then jumping randomly at the air (no wonder you didn't figure this out I'm already confused and I made this) until you hit a coin block then placing the shell near it and using it to jump up on the block and from there right to the 1-up! (gasps for air)

>The 2nd power-up can be get by going a bit forward (or down in this case) and taking the kuribo's shoe, going back up a bit with it near the sand pit thingy and jumping and releasing it in mid air.


EDIT: Progression: pretty decent. Problems: 1
For some reason the yellow clock once activated decides to during the pause eliminate most of the off screen coins, usually either the red one and the ones on the same line or the coins that take you up to the power-up (that was previously a 1-up and now a HB-suit) Because of this I believe this will be the only thing I can't really fix...
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16948
Hm. That's weird about the clock thing. I'll take a look, but if I can't figure it out either, we'll stick with the inventory clock.

Also dayum you need some mad skills to get that early 1-Up. o.o Or be Luigi...if only you could! :D

EDIT: All right, I investigated the bug a little. It's not so much that the clock deletes the coins; it's more like the game fails to load them while the timer runs. If you leave and come back, any coins that disappeared will be there again. Also, hitting the P Switch still turns invisible coins into solid blocks. The only solution I can think of is to place the clock so the trap and stair coins are visible when you collect it. The other coins in the stage won't be affected, because they'll return to normal as soon as the time's up.
Just wondering.. Can anyone participate?

Even.. If you've never used smbx? :D
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16948
from NewBlack
Just wondering.. Can anyone participate?

Even.. If you've never used smbx? :D

from me
Signups begin NOW, and EVERYONE is free to join!

NO NEWB LACK GET OUT
Updated, Still might be some flaws left in so might need to do V.3...
Didn't change the name or anything at all other than the .lvl file

BTW: How's everyones projects coming along?
masterofmayhem
I can defiantly see where you’re coming from
2610
I’d like to join once I get some time on the editor, but I have lots of other stuff to do though so I doubt it.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16948
apa649’s Sand Tombs (#2)

Deal Breakers

Still none! :3

If You Don’ts

Nothin’!

Nitpicks

- move all the ? blocks at the start down one tile. At their current height, Mario can barely jump on top of them.

- SEMI-OLD NEWS: In the first section, there’s a rift in your sand after the first trap that just looks weird. It’d look better connected. Likewise, other places where the sand turns down from blocks on the side would look better ‘connected’ to the block (ie use the regular middle tile instead of the wall side tile).

Much better! I’m almost completely okay with it now. Consider it approved! Feel free to make more, too!

from masterofmayhem
I’d like to join once I get some time on the editor, but I have lots of other stuff to do though so I doubt it.
As mentioned above, all are welcome to participate whether they've used the engine or not. I'm willing to help explain things, plus we have tutorials, blah blah blah...

Of course, none of that matters if you don't have the time for it. Do what you can!