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

masterofmayhem
I can defiantly see where you’re coming from
2610
Guess who finally got round to making another level. This guy.
My new computer likes SMBX
Test all the levels!I'm back in the game bitches

Edit: No it doesn't.............. crys*
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
What exactly happens when you try to launch SMBX? Good to see you back, by the way.
I am finding that at home my SMBX crashes and freezes all the time, and in the taskbar there are DOZENS of little FFA icons. I think it is for some codec I have for sound. This is probably related to my crashes.

Any ideas? (or do people know of a good alternative to K-Lite Codec pack or CCCP?)
I noticed the same thing months earlier, the new SMBX 3.01
software suddenly closes after a random sound glitch. This
can happen for any game on the list. That won't stop me from
adding custom music. Check windows for semi-compatibility.
Seiromem
I would have more makerscore If I did things.
6375
So, it's most likely a 3.01 sound glitch then?
If it's the same glitch that Kentona described, then I'm pretty sure it isn't exclusive to the new 3.0.1 version (I recall seeing a similar issue described in the Talking Time Bros readme, actually). Regardless, I haven't experienced this particular issue in any version I've tried, including 3.0.1, so I can't really help out here.
I am 90% sure it is related to the K Lite codec pack I have installed. Because until I uninstalled CCCP and installed KLite (because CCCP was giving different issues in another program I used) I didn't get this issue.
The latest version of CCCP was also giving me grief. So I found Shark007 ADVANCED codec pack and rolled with it. After turning off LAV in windows taskbar, it seems to work okay. No crashes, plays all of the sounds, and isn't terrible, and I can still play MKV files. Win!
author=Ratty524
What exactly happens when you try to launch SMBX? Good to see you back, by the way.
I'll tell you exactly how later, I'm getting my new comp replaced by the company I bought it off as it had 4 GB of ram when they said it had 8 GB of ram

EDIT: I read through the page and it suddenly occurs to me that you are not speaking to me, this gives me the liberty of feeling like an idiot (yay)
None the less, if anyone has any ideas, My SMBX will not allow me to add blocks, backgrounds and NPCs and shows no item on the cursor, loading a level section with such items in shows a blank black page cursed by the glitch that occurs when you go too far off screen with a small background
EDIT II: Also, attempting to load a large level causes Runtime Error 11 (Division by zero, when I become overlord of the world, I will take great pride of removing that bitch from existence)
Isrieri
"My father told me this would happen."
6155
So I'm seeing a lot of levels and very few approvals for 2 months worth of work.

Seiromem, what's going on?
Seiromem
I would have more makerscore If I did things.
6375
Jack's having SMBX problems, so he cannot judge. I don't think I could judge, so it's either we get another volunteer or deal with two judges. (since there were technically 3 judges, none of the levels could get approved until the third one reviewed it)

So that's a problem.
Isrieri
"My father told me this would happen."
6155
*sigh*

I can judge if you want me to. I won't have the time till tomorrow though. Do you others mind if I just swoop in like this?
Would it be too late to join this? I'm considering it, but I want to know if it's even allowed this late before I give it more thought...
Isrieri
"My father told me this would happen."
6155
author=TangledLion
Would it be too late to join this?

You can sign up if you already have a level in mind and can make it in a week from now. Cuz I plan on getting this project moving.
Seiromem
I would have more makerscore If I did things.
6375
Isrieri to the rescue!
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
author=TangledLion
Would it be too late to join this? I'm considering it, but I want to know if it's even allowed this late before I give it more thought...

We barely have enough levels to complete this... At least in the way that's set up right now, so have at it!

author=Isrieri
*sigh*

I can judge if you want me to. I won't have the time till tomorrow though. Do you others mind if I just swoop in like this?

Not at all!

I'll try to catch up on some of these levels this weekend.
Isrieri
"My father told me this would happen."
6155
Okay.

I just played all of your levels* and they're all too hard. I didn't come across one level that would have worked as a 1-1. The game seems to be heading down the same road as the last Castles game.
*I haven't played Davenport's yet.

Now I know there weren't many levels made that were intended to be a super-easy 1-1 but we need to edit these stages regardless because 1) A good number of them are difficul because of poorly implemented concepts or stage hazards, and 2) Because a great number are too long.

The levels I'm thinking of aren't really long though, they've just got a lot of filler bits in them that don't need to be there. So they ought not to be hard to cut or work around.

One good thing is that I didn't see any levels that were conceptually bad. They mostly need trimming & refining, that's all. And we need some levels that are easy peasy: But don't nobody go making any just yet. I'd like to go back and read the thread to find out what's been going on where the world structure is concerned.


I'll probably have detailed feedback for the first batch by tomorrow night.
Solitayre
Circumstance penalty for being the bard.
18257
I think what might be holding this project back is it started out conceptually too big. You decided there would be four castles and levels needed to match the themes conceptually and aesthetically.

In a large game like Super RMN World, where you're intending to have a lot of levels, that's probably okay, but for a side game like this, you're asking people to make more content than there might be interest for.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
So I lied about judging on the weekends and I'm doing it now, apparently.

Solitayre
Tower of Rain/Rainy Tower/Whatever
+ Seems good to go! We might have to question the difficulty rating depending on what Isrieri has to say about it all.

Current Status: APPROVED

Alexander
Astral Ascent
+ God you are good with music choices.

+ I like the out-of-reach secret areas in this level.

- Some of your dragon coin placements are pretty ridiculous.

This is one I particularly dislike. You either have to carefully time a jump off a Ninji as Luigi, or wait for the parakoopa on the next screen to give you the reach you need. That parakoopa in particular doesn't travel very fast, and I just don't think doing all of that is worth it for just one Dragon Coin.


Probably nowhere near as bad as the other one I mentioned, but the solution to obtaining it may come off as a bit cryptic, if the player is speeding through these bullet bill sections without noticing the one to the left of the screen in question.

- The second bill blaster you encounter from the bottom up, in the section with the green switch platform, is pretty difficult to avoid unless you anticipate it early and just duck during that section, but that sort of makes it a bit too reliant on trial-and-error. I suggest either repositioning that bill blaster or move the path of the switch platform a little further from it, just to give the player more time to react to it.

- Same with the red switch platform section. The platforms those rexes are standing on are too wide, and they almost always hit you when they fall off and there is little you can do about it.

- Why can you re-enter the doors in this level? The level's design is so linear that there is not much of a reason to backtrack to each section, so while it's not a deal-breaker, it's kind of pointless.

- I kind of expected a little more than coins and a single 1-up in the invisible platform section, I guess it's because you can easily miss the first jump of that section if you don't have the tanooki suit, making the reward feel a bit underwhelming for what you need to do to get it.

-

As pictured above, It's possible to put the stage at an unwinnable state if the player stands at the third switch platform-block from the right, does nothing, and collides with the switch block that activates the thing in the first place. Perhaps you could arrange the path where the platform starts in a horizontal position as oppose to vertical, so you wouldn't have to worry about the switch block getting in the way of anything.


Current Status: DENIED, Not one of your best levels, but it could be with some fixes.

Masterofmayhem
Fallen Babel
- All this time during playtesting, I was wonder where the heck I was going and why everything was happening. I think the reason is because the level is way too expansive for its own good. You have a lot of gaps and negative space bewteen platforms that kind of obscures any sense of direction in this level's design.

- Sort of a nitpick, but I kind of wish the P-switch was utilized a bit more. You only need it for one measly part, and the 1-up area is negligable by the fact that Luigi can jump from the wall behind it and access it easily, and even Mario as well with a duck-jump.

- Not a fan of the Phanto-boo thing placed right next to the Thwomp near the end of this level. The space is tight and the Phanto cramps it even further with its mechanics.

- Why do you have a single coin block placed AFTER the star? The player will more likely see and get that star before noticing that block. It could be a good set-up for a secret/trick 1-up at the end, but all you give is one coin...


Current Status: DENIED The overall design needs some polishing before I'm ready to accept it.

Seiromem
Greenhouse Garrison
- You're close, dude. There is only ONE PART that I really dislike:

If you screw up a speed-run of this level, you have to wait for both the Hoopster AND the platforms to align to the correct position before you can proceed. It brings the pace of the level to a screeching halt and it's so boring. Address this and it'll be good to go.


Current Status: DENIED

Sandflow Sewers
- I seriously thought this level was incomplete after I hit the blue switch during the first half of this level. It could be me, but perhaps you could communicate the effects of the switch a bit better. As a matter of fact, it would make more sense if the quicksand rose to reveal the Dragon Coin instead of sunk. That, or just redesign that entire room to allow more room for error on the player's part.

- I share Alexander's thoughts in regards to quicksand.

- The second part of the level, after the checkpoint, could have more done with it. The fact that the quicksand rises and falls feels more like an annoyance rather than an interesting new challenge in this section, because you didn't design this part of the level to really utilize both positions of the quicksand. What's wrong with the possibility of a lower/upper path the player could take depending on the position of the quicksand?

- The boss fight is where the level takes a real blow. You honestly don't need any more obstacles in a Mouser boss fight because the rate at which he chucks bombs is both fast and hard to predict. Not to mention how he potentially stalls the fight by blocking the bombs with his own, which makes the fight MUCH more arduous...

Oh, and just when I wanted it to end, you added a SECOND PHASE to the fight!? Just no, man. Reserve multiple phases in Mario boss fights for like... The final level.


Current Status: DENIED

Foggy Ferry Fortress
- The elevating cloud sections are just flat-out terrible. Only through trial-and-error (aka dying so many god damn times) can you possibly get through this monster unscathed. The clouds you ride on move along an unintuitive pattern and so many traps require tight precision to avoid. These sections are slow, boring, and hardly what I'd consider fair in terms of difficulty. The level feels like a death-grinder, and I really don't think we should have this in our game.

- Specific to the second cloud-section, you change the graphic style of the cloud for some reason, and in terms of design it's arguably worse than the first. You have buzzsaws that will suddenly travel on your platform rather than in the path they are following. There is also a Dragon coin at the end of that part, and if you screw up the timing of every event (by dropping an item you have in reserve and transforming, for instance) the saw that was intended for the coin now merges with the saw that's supposed to reach your cloud platform. I think this is what Isrieri meant by bullshit difficulty, which we should avoid.

- Honest to God, if you knew you were making a level like this, you could have at least had the mercy to put a checkpoint directly after the cloud sections, but you didn't. Since it's fully possible to miss a jump and die before reaching the checkpoint, you have to do the nightmarish cloud sections ALL OVER AGAIN!

- I have the same thoughts to Alexander in regards to the music. Hell, it pretty much screws with your mind after experiencing so many deaths in this level.

- The boss fight isn't anywhere near as bad, fortunately, but it's kind of forgettable and the strategy to beating it is highly repetitive. The Bowser boss npc just has way too much HP, and there isn't a way to damage him multiple times with the shell, at least with the way you have the room set up. An alternative would be to replace the boss NPC with maybe something like Iggy Koopa, and set the "jumphurt" flag to 1.


Current Status: DENIED Consider giving this level a bit of an overhaul. As of right now it feels too hard for all the wrong reasons.