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

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Posts

Seiromem
I would have more makerscore If I did things.
6375
author=AlexanderXCIII
1) Harder to lose than to win. Halibaca's SMBX tutorial level would probably go here.
That;s way too easy, the difficulty of 1 would be something mild, like the first few levels of any Mario game.
2) "Kirby" Tier. Easy enough that esperienced players will almost never screw up, but still a possibility.
Don't know if "Kirby" is an appropriate adjective. Something more like "Tricky" as such that there are a few tricks that would screw anyone up, but give you warning as to when such tricks appear.
3) "Mario" Tier. About as difficult as Super Mario Bros. 3, or most other Mario games.
Again, "Mario" tier isn't an appropriate adjective, we're making a Mario game, and are making the harder levels, the castles, to be more specific. So it'd be similar to world 5 Castles, so "Rough/Tough" is more appropriate.
4) "ROM Hack" Tier. More difficult than SMB3, but still reasonably beatable by human players; usually intended for more experienced players.
That is actually an extreme jump from Mario to "ROM Hack" besides, we don;t want anything ROM-Hack like, we want levels that actually feel like fun Castle levels.
Something more like "Challenge" Tier.

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.
Eh, that actually fits quite well. Especially when based off Isrieri's only 5/5 level...... dear god.


That's my thoughts on your "Difficulty Ratings"
Then allow me to be more specific?

1 is for levels that are literally impossible to lose, or at least seem that way to even mediocre players.

2 is for levels that are generally easier than Super Mario Bros 3; for game examples Kirby, Aladdin (SNES), and possibly Super Mario World.

3 is for levels on par with the latter half of Mario 3, which I consider to be median of platform difficulty.

4 is for levels that are harder than Mario 3's endgame; for example Mega Man, Cave Story*, Donkey Kong Country 2.

5 is for levels that virtually require savestates or other cheat methods that AFAIK aren't available in SMBX.

TL;DR this is a scale that attempts to incorporate all levels of difficulty by someone who is better than most at platformers.

*That is, Cave Story's secret final dungeon. People say the rest of the game is hard, but I'd rate everything outside Sacred Grounds as a 3.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
author=jackalotrun
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

I can run SMBX on my Windows 7 OS just fine. Have you tried running as administrator? Playing in compatibility mode? Reinstalling?
author=Ratty524
author=jackalotrun
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
I can run SMBX on my Windows 7 OS just fine. Have you tried running as administrator? Playing in compatibility mode? Reinstalling?


Yes, yes and yes, but it blankly refuses to work, my XP computer computed it's last about three days ago and so I am stumpified.
And now for my next level:

Heavy Hallway
A level for Industrial Zone. Hopefully I've met the quota for seiromem's OC evil toad resprites.

Difficulty: 4/5
I'd say it's easier than my previous submission, but it is also based on a gimmick that's one-hit-kill and somewhat glitchy (Moving Layers). That said, I tried to design the level such that any death is due to player stupidity rather than engine stupidity.

I briefly considered naming this "The Origin of Paper Mario", but that seemed a little on the long side.
Seiromem
I would have more makerscore If I did things.
6375
author=AlexanderXCIII
Hopefully I've met the quota for seiromem's OC evil toad resprites.


I will not tolerate truth telling.
Incidentally, while building this level I discovered that if Mario is standing on a vertical moving layer and the layer moves below a non-moving ground, it kills him instantly. Just something to keep in mind when building and testing levels.

I also haven't done too much testing with this, because I hate working with spontaneous BAM-you're-dead-lol situations, but it seems pretty consistent.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
Judging time. Come on, grab your friends! We'll go to very distant lands...

Wildwes
Mushroom Fortress
+ I guess the good point about this level is that you really created a nice sense of atmosphere, though it looks a little bit under-decorated and bare.
- I don't like the section with the mushroom stairway and the fighterflies, shown here:

You've got low ceilings, enemies that move like... 2 tiles across at a time and if you wait too long, they'll actually stack up right towards the purple pipe you enter to get to this room. I'd consider opening the gap between the mushroom platform and the pipe section a little, so that the flies can just fall straight to their doom and the player can treat the pipe entrance as a resting point. You don't need to make a 2/5 difficulty level this hard.

- Your worst section is where you are bouncing on shrooms to avoid bowser statues. The springboard's bounce positions you right in line with the fireballs the statues are shooting out, and it's difficult to control your bounce without getting hit. Sure, if you are fast you can clear that section effortlessly, but that doesn't take into account the less-than stellar Mario players out there, and for a 2/5 difficulty level, this just doesn't belong. Get rid of it.

- I don't really know about this level in general. Maybe I'm biased, but ever since I experienced the frustrations of playing Super RMN Bros. 3, I am NOT a fan of back-and-forth switch puzzle mazes. Aside from that, the worst aspect about these type of mazes is that if you die, you have to do EVERYTHING over again, and figuring out a puzzle like this in a Mario game feels like a stale chore rather than something that's actually fun.
The second part of this level, after the checkpoint, is fun, though. I think if you centered your concept a little bit more around bouncing mushrooms this would sit better with me. It could just be me, though. I'd like to hear what the other judges have to say about this.

Current Status: DENIED



Masterofmayhem
Fungal Fortress
+ BIG step up in the visual department! However, you've still got some pixel artifacts with your black castle backgrounds. I'd check how you are saving these images.

+ The platform distance and use of poison shrooms have also improved a lot. Good work in this regard.

-

I suggest extending this platform that I have my cursor pointing towards, by about a tile or two. I just don't think this jump needs to require a precise running start on a level marked 3/5 in difficulty.

- Why do you only have a red mushroom instead of a regular powerup at the blocks at the end? Better yet, why have power-ups there at all, since there are no obstacles that would feasibly harm the player at that point?

Current Status: DENIED, but only because of some excessive running-jumps and graphical glitches. This is well on it's way for approval.


AlexanderXC
Heavy Hallway
+ You used music from Mr. Gimmick. You are truly amazing.

-

What's not amazing is that single brick block placed against the side of the wall at the start, shown above. You can only hit it if:
1) You have a tanooki/leaf powerup, and you float and hit the side of the block with your tail.
2) You stand on the lower ledge beneath the block, and use a running-jump to hit it from below.
3) You toss an evil Toad head/shell to hit it from below.

... And the only reward you get for hitting it is one coin. Seriously? Either make the reward better, or just get rid of it entirely.

- I think Halibabica made some background sprite for the conveyor belt ends that you could borrow (you could probably ask him about it), because seeing those conveyors floating in the air with no end pieces kind of looks weird.

- Section 7 might be better off taking place indoors instead of outside the castle. You even have castle mechanisms taking place there, so I'd stick with it.

+ Those are the only things I see wrong with this level.

Current Status: DENIED but you are darn close.


Jackalotrun
Forest Caldera
+ Glad you condensed the outside section, but now you kind of have some unused space. Maybe move the ?-blocks from inside your castle to this outside section, since I think this level would be better off not cramping the space you have between you and the Spike Top.

+ YES you utilized the ceiling and vines for secrets!

- ... But you could push it a bit further! I was able to get up on the ceiling early by jumping on your second set of green springboards. You could make the ceiling of the level you designated "secrets" section, where rewards like a large number of coins, extra lives, etc. could be present. That would make your level a lot more interactive and engaging to the player, in my opinion.

- Putting two invisible blocks under you hidden propeller block isn't a good idea, because the one on the edge of the platform could create a potential Kaizo trap if the player decides to backtrack for a missed Dragon Coin prior to the section.

Current Status: DENIED. It's really getting there. The excessive invisible block and the content-less outside section are the only real deal-breakers, but I suggest you still take my advice on the secrets.


Davenport
Brimestone Barracks
- I forgot to mention that you misspelled "Brimstone" in the name of your level, but that could be the sort of thing seiromem could fix himself.

- That Toad's grammar is smelly doo-doo. I'd consider getting someone to proofread it, but if you can't, I have an alternative suggestion for his text:

"Want a tip? The stone pillars marked with red coins are the tallest. They won't sink below the lava's surface like those marked with yellow or blue coins, so you can stand on them safely!"

It's much shorter, but it's also concise. It gives the player the information they really need to know in order to beat this level successfully. The info about the yellow and blue coins aren't really that important at all, since the player can adequately infer that every other pillar will sink below the surface of the lava just by knowing that red coins = safety.

- I don't know why you added Blaargs to this level. They don't really do anything here, since you can safely jump over just about all of them and they pose no threat in a level that's focused on constantly jumping on high platforms.

- Have you updated the SMW Dry Bone's hitbox? If not, you should get to that, since the default ones are banned now.

Current Status: DENIED mainly because of the bad grammar, but this level is getting really close!


Brownstone Castle
+ Your entrance is WAY better! Consider making the "background" castle brick (the one you can walk through) darker, so that players won't initially think the entrance to your castle is blocked off.

+ Thwomp section is a lot better, too.

- In the bonus room above the ceiling crusher (which I'm glad you added), get rid of the ceiling of spikes. Bonus rooms are a place for players to recuperate in Mario games, so there shouldn't be a chance they could die.

- Another issue is that if the player is Super Mario size or higher, they can get crushed to death soon after exiting the bonus room pipe. I'd raise the pipe entrance to the room up by a tile, because that's a cheap death that shouldn't be ignored.

- You've got a glitch with your moving steak layers, shown below:


Current Status: DENIED, but it's another one of your levels that's getting there. The glitch with the spike and the bonus room flaws are the major problems you should address.


Sunken Castle
- See my comment on the Drybone's hitbox if you haven't done so already.

- The 1-up that's place near the ball-and-chain is very hard to acquire without getting hit. Is it even possible to get without getting smacked?

Current Status: Not sure about that 1-up but other than that I APPROVE!


Tower of Peril
+ Getting better in the visual department

- It might be better to design the 1st section (before the checkpoint) to be a bit less linear in terms of platform placement, like you did later on within that section. This level inherently forces the player to choose a certain path based on the position of the spiked walls, and I think I'm understanding why people like Jackalotrun are finding it tedious, because you have if you stand heading a certain direction at the wrong time, you have to constantly go backwards and wait for the wall to move in the right direction. Making the platforms more widespread alleviates this.

- The beginning of the second section is getting there, but it still feels too hard compared to the rest of the level. I find that designing the level around the propeller block in this section (not the last) to be problematic here. As I said last time, you have to be exactly at the right place at the right time otherwise you will be trapped and instantly killed, and with how high these corridors are placed, it makes it all even harder. I'd stick to using the standard small platforms to get around for this part of the level, just like you did with the first section, and save the propeller block for that last section before the star.

Current Status: DENIED These levels are definitely getting better, Davenport, but they could still use a bit of work.


Only one got an approval from me. Lulz I'm da harshest judge. :P
masterofmayhem
I can defiantly see where you’re coming from
2610
Thanks for the feedback. I've changed the SMB1 castles graphics with some stranded SMW ones.

Oh, and I've also changed to the name to to avoid confusion with Wildwes's level... name stealing jerk.
author=masterofmayhem
Oh, and I've also changed to the name to to avoid confusion with Wildwes's level... name stealing jerk.

Rude.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback Ratty! I'll fix that section with the fighterflies, tweak that part with the Bowser statues, and see if I can find some stuff I could use for decoration so it'd look less bare. I'll wait until the other judges have played it before I go and get rid of the switch puzzle though, considering half the level is that puzzle. (I like switch puzzles personally, maybe I'm just weird.)
masterofmayhem
I can defiantly see where you’re coming from
2610
author=wildwes
author=masterofmayhem
Oh, and I've also changed to the name to to avoid confusion with Wildwes's level... name stealing jerk.
Rude.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback Ratty! I'll fix that section with the fighterflies, tweak that part with the Bowser statues, and see if I can find some stuff I could use for decoration so it'd look less bare. I'll wait until the other judges have played it before I go and get rid of the switch puzzle though, considering half the level is that puzzle. (I like switch puzzles personally, maybe I'm just weird.)


You say rude I say, sarcasm.
Solitayre
Circumstance penalty for being the bard.
18257
I have submitted a level. I hope it fits the theme appropriately. I can already hear kentona telling me it's too easy and boring.

I had some trouble getting the music to play. Let me know if you guys have issues.
author=Ratty
What's not amazing is that single brick block placed against the side of the wall at the start, shown above. You can only hit it if:
1) You have a tanooki/leaf powerup, and you float and hit the side of the block with your tail.
2) You stand on the lower ledge beneath the block, and use a running-jump to hit it from below.
3) You toss an evil Toad head/shell to hit it from below.

... And the only reward you get for hitting it is one coin. Seriously? Either make the reward better, or just get rid of it entirely.

That block was intended to make accessing the powerup easier rather than hiding a prize. Do you think it would be better replaced with a solid block?

And I like the outdoor section :( I'll try playing around with that.

Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
author=AlexanderXCIII
That block was intended to make accessing the powerup easier rather than hiding a prize. Do you think it would be better replaced with a solid block?
Possibly, or you could just extend the top part of the platform a little bit, still allowing the player to go to the bottom to proceed, but making it less cumbersome to jump to the platform.

In a level where the breakable blocks are very distinguishable from the solid blocks, like this one, I would keep in mind that inquisitive players would want to break those blocks to find secrets, so they shouldn't be treated solely as an extra platform to reach a high ledge or something to that extent.

author=AlexanderXCIII
And I like the outdoor section :( I'll try playing around with that.

I think it might go against the "continuous castle" theme that seiromem is going for. I don't think anything is wrong with changing the background to that of your indoor sections, because the way that part of the level is structured is perfect in my eyes.

author=Solitayre
I have submitted a level. I hope it fits the theme appropriately. I can already hear kentona telling me it's too easy and boring.

Difficulty is subjective, but anyway, I can't wait to play it!
Seiromem
I would have more makerscore If I did things.
6375
Don't forget guys! You should have all your pipe warps Allow NPCs!


Also, Ratty, can you resprite Mother Brain as a hoopster(red Bug thing) and make a giant stem(SMB2 Tree)?
Kthnxbye
Apologies for my lateness in getting these up, but here are my judgings.
Davenport, it appears that you haven't been placing start locations for Player 2.

Davenport - Brownstone Castle
* The entrance to the castle looks much better, however the fact that one block is walk-though while the rest are solid is very distracting.
* The stakes in the first room are still too slow. Assuming that they're on the same layer as the spike ceiling right after the checkpoint, I suggest moving them to a new layer and increasing their speed.
* Speaking of the spike ceiling, I can get on top (and access the pipe, thanks for bringing that back by the way), but there isn't enough room to stand up there without being crushed. If you reduce the time of the move-up and move-down events by 0.1 seconds, it should be wide enough to survive while ducking, and I recommend raising the actual ceiling by one block in the safe spots for good measure.
* The wooden stake at the donut block bridge isn't layered properly; the tip moves independently from the rest.
* The question block on the roof still appears to be a switch, but I don't see the corresponding switch blocks. You should replace it with a normal question block.
* Final verdict: DENIED. You're getting closer.

Davenport - Sunken Castle
* The 1-up by the ball-and-chains is still probably impossible to get without taking damage. You might want to take another look at that.
* The bony beetles don't give any warning before getting back up after being jumped on. Just something to keep in mind, especially since they jump surprisingly high underwater.
* The Thwomp at the end (before the exit pipe) won't attack if I'm too close to the ground. It's literally too far away for it to see me…
* I'm going to have to say DENIED, but if you fix the 1-up you should be good to go.

Davenport - Brimstone Barracks
* Much better than previous iterations.
* Using color-coded coins to indicate safe platforms is a good idea, but I'm not a fan of the wall of text provided by the hint Toad. You can condense his dialog by a lot and still get the point across. I also think the blue coins to indicate low spots are unnecessary, but that's just me.
* The safe platforms are too close to the lava for my liking. I know they're perfectly safe, but I think you should reduce the time of the move-up & move-down events so they don't go completely into the lava graphic. Less than one second should be enough.
* Still DENIED, but you're getting much closer.

Master of Mayhem - Shroom Sanctuary
* Much, much better looking than your previous attempt. I almost didn't recognize it as the same level.
* I'm still not sure on the music. If there are any Genesis owners reading this, feel free to correct me, but I'm hearing a sort of hissing and/or screeching sound that isn't present on the other MP3 I have of this song.
* The background transition between the main level (which I'm assuming is nighttime and outdoors) and the ending screen is a little odd.
* It's mostly minor issues I have at this point, so I think I might be ready to ACCEPT this.

Ratty524 - Bolete Bastille
* Aside from removing some of the bugs-whose-names-I-cannot-remember at the end, this level looks identical to the previous iteration. Not that that's a bad thing, mind you.
* Final verdict: ACCEPTED. I still love those freakishly tall Goombas.

Wildwes - Mushroom Fortress
* First off, I love the music choice. I'm not keen on the brick color, however.
* The first dragon coin is stupidly difficult to acquire with Mario, but not a problem for Luigi (incidentally, after testing with Luigi, the game then decides to let Mario get it first try)
* I actually kinda liked the switch puzzle; it felt more thought out than the usual "do these four segments and then continue the level".
* However, a number of the Dragon Coins felt like trial and error; one required the blue switch in a certain position which happened to be the opposite of what I needed to proceed, and the other required me to guess one of two exclusive paths.
* I'm not a fan of the Bowser statues in the vertical room. Their positioning and rate of fire makes it feel random whether I get hit (they might not actually be random, but I don't know for sure)
* I think I'll DENY this for now, but the level definitely has potential.

Solitayre - Tower of Rain
* I have no idea why the music isn't working (and I forgot that you mentioned a problem with the music until after finishing the level). It doesn't appear to be a filename issue, so my best guess is that it's an MP3 that SMBX just doesn't want to play. Did the music work for you?
* The Toadies after the checkpoint hurt when I jump on them, but are destroyed by a spin-jump; it's inconsistent with spin-jump behavior.
* The ending seems out-of-place, and you have the wrong level-end object (it's supposed to be the SMB3 star); why not use the rainy background from earlier in the level?
* Overall I liked it; the difficulty is fine and the level has a nice atmosphere. But I'm afraid I have to DENY it because of the level-end and the music not working.
Solitayre
Circumstance penalty for being the bard.
18257
Yeah I'm done trying to get that song to work. I'll just replace it with something else.

Sorry about using the wrong exit, fixed now.
Some songs just don't want to work with SMBX. I've encountered the same problem with the soundtracks of at least three games.

It's a shame, that song would've fit perfectly with your level.
Solitayre
Circumstance penalty for being the bard.
18257
author=AlexanderXCIII
Some songs just don't want to work with SMBX. I've encountered the same problem with the soundtracks of at least three games.

It's a shame, that song would've fit perfectly with your level.


I know! It made me sad.

Here it is if anyone else wants to try fiddling with it.

http://rpgmaker.net/users/Solitayre/locker/SMWRain.mp3

I don't have audacity on this machine or else I might try tweaking it. It could have stood to have the file size trimmed. I might try it later.

Let me know if you have any other changes you want me to make.