Description

~ LOOK! ~
"In anticipation of Super RMN World 2: Bro-shi's Island (or whatever it will be called), I'm taking it upon myself to issue a call to all potential SMBX devs! Even if you've never touched the engine, now's the time to give it a shot!"
It's like what Isrieri said, and I'm saying the same thing for this sequel to the Castles Masterpiece Set!

Time to give SMBX a shot and make a level!


Sign Ups: 4/02~4/05
Development: 4/05~5/05
Compilation: 5/05~5/08
Release: 5/09

~ Hey, Listen! ~

This is important, as it'll affect what your levels are!

All levels must be made as if a part of one continuous castle. The continuous castles themselves each have their own theme and hub, five in total.

  • Shroomland ForestThis area's castle has many plants, especially mushrooms, and many piranha plant enemies! The foundation of this castle is blue-green bricks.

  • GreyOcean Ravine
    This area's castle has lots of water and grey-blue bricks.
    Many fish enemies should be used, remember your level doesn't have to be completely submerged, just use water!

  • Redbrick Desert
    This area's castle is basically dry, sandy with red-ish bricks for the foundation. Dry Bones (SMB3 Version/Resized SMW Version), cacti and various other Desert enemies should be here!

  • Sky Domain
    This area's castle is A giant floating castle, include many clouds and grey to white bricks! (SMW Castle tiles would work fine here)
    Enemies should consist of lakitus, parakoopas, bullet bills (Restrict the amount of homing koopas) and various other flying enemies.

  • Industrial Zone

This zone is to have aztec like bricks with many metal frameworks around it, this is because toadly is there, and he like steel.
Oh, and he also likes poison mushrooms, Mind-controlled toads and various spike traps, but that's just him.
Yes you must include those, if you want the graphics download them here:
http://rpgmaker.net/media/content/users/17331/locker/Industrial_Zone_enemies.zip



The first four areas listed are all avalible from the starting point, so you can do them in any order. Keep this in mind! This means that each continuous Castle needs to have easy and hard levels, not one or the other! If there are too many easy levels in a castle, we'll force the new additions to be harder, and vice-versa!

The exception to this rule is the fifth Overall Castle, the Industrial Zone. You should make your levels for this area more on the difficult end, as this area is only unlocked by completing the other four.

Fitting into the theme is not enough for the level to be accepted! Levels must have:

Be saved with THIS naming theme:
<dev>_<zone>_<level>_<diff>_<version>
Example:Ratty524_3_PursuitPalace_4_2

The Difficulty section is assumed to be out of 5, do not put 6 here (you might even want to refrain from making a 5 until the "Industrial Zone"

  • One checkpoint, and only one.
  • The game will only utilize Mario and Luigi as characters
  • All water must be swimmable. Waterfalls must not be.
  • An average castle should take no longer than 2 to 4 minutes to complete. (And no shorter than 1 minute)
  • The game wont be 2-player, so don't focus on it, but make sure it is at least possible for 2 players.
  • No secret stars.
  • At least two power ups, one at the start and one at the checkpoint.
  • Use invisible blocks wisely. No putting them over pits or other nonsense of that sort.
  • THE LEVEL MUST END IN ONE SMB3 STAR
  • THE LEVEL MUST CONTAIN 5 DRAGON COINS!
  • LEVELS CANNOT CONTAIN BOSSES-Mini bosses are okay, however. Just make sure that they are indeed mini!
  • LEVELS CANNOT HAVE: SMW Dry Bones (This is due to a height issue, if you fix this issue you may use them) SMW Bowser Statue. (This is again because of a height issue, if Mario st0od on top of the statue when it fired, Mario would get hurt.) Wall Zipping, this is when you have a 1-tile high hallway, super mario ducks and enters, and when you stand up you "Zip" through the wall. It's Extremely glitchy and can often break your level.


A participant can only submit up to 5 levels, 1 level for each Overall Castle.

~ WATCH OUT! ~
The story of this event is simple: You've received a letter from someone by the name of Mr. Zoad, an Archaeologist! He has asked you to explore a small but diverse island in search of an ancient relic. He warns you, however, that his competitors might be after the same thing.

You must explore the four ruined castles to find the whereabouts of this ancient relic, and be paid in big coins by Mr. Zoad!

Details

Registration

You must be logged in to sign up for Castles Masterpiece Set 2.

Posts

Based on Ratty's and Alexander's Feedback, many changes were implemented
in the latest version. The following adjustments were made:
V(Splinters): 1-> 1.2
V(Magma pillars): 0.5 ->0.4
V(Wall spikes): 2-> 1.5
1-up relocation, floor/ceiling barriers,coins added in sunken castle.
Blobofgoo
Legs are a burden. Return to snek.
2751
Signed up late. Hope thats ok.

In other news, I've discovered a program called "join me" which allows a host do share their screen to anyone on the internet (when given the link).

I'd like to be able to watch a more advanced developer make a level so I can get a better idea of the method I should use. It would be helpful to other new SMBC devs as well.

Would anyone be up for that?

P.S. Join Me has no audio in favor of a chatbox. So you don't need a mic. And it doesn't show you. So you don't need a webcam either. If you have questions then ask me.
author=Blobofgoo
Signed up late. Hope thats ok.

In other news, I've discovered a program called "join me" which allows a host do share their screen to anyone on the internet (when given the link).

I'd like to be able to watch a more advanced developer make a level so I can get a better idea of the method I should use. It would be helpful to other new SMBC devs as well.

Would anyone be up for that?

P.S. Join Me has no audio in favor of a chatbox. So you don't need a mic. And it doesn't show you. So you don't need a webcam either. If you have questions then ask me.

Sounds like a livestream to me. It's not a bad idea, but I doubt I would personally use it. Assuming that my laptop can even handle streaming in the first place, a significant portion of my level design process is on pencil-and-paper rather than the computer screen. If you're looking for advice in general, I might be able to help with that, too.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
I wouldn't be a good example, either. Lol, for the most part, I do very little off-screen planning with my SMBX levels and I sort of jump the gun on it, making up the concept as I go along. Bolete Bastille, for instance, was started only under the basic idea that I wanted to make a level with mushrooms you can bounce on, vines, and crazy-looking Goombas.

What keeps my levels from turning into absolute shit, though, is that once I find that central theme of the level, I stick with it. General SMBX experience both as a player and a developer also let's me know what works and what doesn't, and I constantly playtest to make revisions before submitting. I put on my "player" cap when testing, and if I don't like something in the level, or I feel it was an obstacle that required a ton of strenuous effort to pull off, then I doubt other players will enjoy that part.
author=Ratty524
Lol, for the most part, I do very little off-screen planning with my SMBX levels and I sort of jump the gun on it, making up the concept as I go along.


I... I'm not the only one who does this? And here I thought that everyone else actually completely planned out their level layout beforehand... Don't worry, my level for the Shroomland Forest is already over halfway done, I'm just being RIDICULOUSLY slow about it. Maybe I'll be done and post it... tomorrow?
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
author=wildwes
Don't worry, my level for the Shroomland Forest is already over halfway done, I'm just being RIDICULOUSLY slow about it. Maybe I'll be done and post it... tomorrow?
Take your time at perfect it to your satisfaction. :)

EDIT:

-Updated Bolete Bastille:

> Removed two of the four hoopsters in the last vine section
> Added some coins in the final vine section to clue the player in on how to clear it.
"Shroomland Forest This area's castle has many plants, especially mushrooms, and many piranha plant enemies! The foundation of this castle is blue-green bricks."

Mushrooms are not plants.
Seiromem
I would have more makerscore If I did things.
6375
Picky picky.
Okay, I feel like this level sucks but whatever maybe it's just 'cuz I have a headache (I can't think straight when I have a headache.)

Mushroom Fortress
I'd give it a... 2? in difficulty. Seems ABOUT right...
This kinda takes inspiration from the Mushroom Forest area in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (mostly it just takes the music though).
I feel like there are problems with this level but... I'm tired of messing with it, so I'll just put it here and see what problems you guys have with it. The only reason this took so long to make was because I just didn't ever work on it. So lazy...
have any of you ever played Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles that's a no isn't it
author=wildwes
author=Ratty524
Lol, for the most part, I do very little off-screen planning with my SMBX levels and I sort of jump the gun on it, making up the concept as I go along.
I... I'm not the only one who does this? And here I thought that everyone else actually completely planned out their level layout beforehand... Don't worry, my level for the Shroomland Forest is already over halfway done, I'm just being RIDICULOUSLY slow about it. Maybe I'll be done and post it... tomorrow?

Actually, I'm alot like Ratty in this case. I'll get an idea for a theme(usually music gives me the idea), and I'll make the level around that theme. I never plan my layouts.
The difference between me and him is that my levels are usually not completed ever or terrible.
Anyways, I'm in this thing, so yeah.
author=pyrodoom
The difference between me and him is that my levels are usually not completed ever or terrible.


Thaaaaat's usually how most of my levels turn out too, actually. :/
But I do make some good ones, like the ones I made for SRMNW. Those were decent.
I'm finally getting started on my castle today.
I'm planning on doing a castle in the clouds, so sky based, and my plans deal with using both cloud graphics and a possible castle recolor to fit with the clouds.
I would also like to say that there is a new version of SMBX. SMBX 1.3.0.1 is out, and while it has minor changes(for example, most of it is graphics changes and you can play 1.3 games in it and vice versa), if you have a problem with the graphics or music in one of my stages, it's probably the version I'm using. .3.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
author=pyrodoom
I'm finally getting started on my castle today.
I'm planning on doing a castle in the clouds, so sky based, and my plans deal with using both cloud graphics and a possible castle recolor to fit with the clouds.
I would also like to say that there is a new version of SMBX. SMBX 1.3.0.1 is out, and while it has minor changes(for example, most of it is graphics changes and you can play 1.3 games in it and vice versa), if you have a problem with the graphics or music in one of my stages, it's probably the version I'm using. .3.

That "version" is basically an graphics/sound add-on more than anything else, so I don't think there would be too much trouble running it in the real version.
Brownstone castle updated. I found the matching Brown sizable castle blocks
on the exterior. A few thomp obstacles were also fixed.
I obviously can’t read, I just noticed the sign-up date range… oh well.

This is the first event I’m participating in, and I’m curious on how we should rank the difficulty of our level. Is there a guide on this site for it, or is it just re-testing the level under various conditions (small Mario only, no killing enemies, ect.) and scoring based on that all right? Or am I even going to be given a chance since I’m so late?

Also, I’d just like to point out that I make up my levels as I go, and play-test the crud out of them. I’m going on the “GreyOcean Ravine” theme, and I’ve gotten maybe about 5% done since I started a couple hours ago…
author=Gameactive
I obviously can’t read, I just noticed the sign-up date range… oh well.

This is the first event I’m participating in, and I’m curious on how we should rank the difficulty of our level. Is there a guide on this site for it, or is it just re-testing the level under various conditions (small Mario only, no killing enemies, ect.) and scoring based on that all right? Or am I even going to be given a chance since I’m so late?

Also, I’d just like to point out that I make up my levels as I go, and play-test the crud out of them. I’m going on the “GreyOcean Ravine” theme, and I’ve gotten maybe about 5% done since I started a couple hours ago…

Given the number of others that signed up after the posted sign-up date, I think you'll be fine.

As for difficulty, there is no standard for ranking it, as much as I wish there was; but it's probably too subjective. I personally use the following rule of thumb:
1) Harder to lose than to win. Halibaca's SMBX tutorial level would probably go here.
2) "Kirby" Tier. Easy enough that esperienced players will almost never screw up, but still a possibility.
3) "Mario" Tier. About as difficult as Super Mario Bros. 3, or most other Mario games.
4) "ROM Hack" Tier. More difficult than SMB3, but still reasonably beatable by human players; usually intended for more experienced players.
5) "BattleToads" Tier. More difficult than any sane human being can handle. I recommend against building a super-difficult level because SMBX isn't well suited to handle them.
Sorry for the lack of attention, my computer was broken so I was unable to do anything, i'll be able to devote some time tomorrow.
author=wildwes
Mushroom Fortress


*cough*anyofyoujudgesplayedthisyet*cough*
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
author=wildwes
author=wildwes
Mushroom Fortress
*cough*anyofyoujudgesplayedthisyet*cough*

Not yet. I've been busy with some irl job stuff. Your best bet might be either tomorrow night or sometime around the weekend.
author=wildwes
author=wildwes
Mushroom Fortress
*cough*anyofyoujudgesplayedthisyet*cough*


I'm having a real problem getting any of my bloody computers to play SMBX, since they're all Windows 7