Description

WHAT IS THIS?
Super RMN World 2 is a collaborative effort to make a solid Mario game in SMBX. It's the latest in the RMN Bros. series that has run on this site over the years. Unlike previous events, this project is more organized to produce a cohesive result. Even so, all users of RMN are welcome to participate! No past experience necessary! I'm your gracious host, halibabica, and I'll be overseeing the whole thing.



THE STORY
The Mario Bros. are on vacation with Peach in Yoshi's Archipelago, a group of exotic islands far from the Mushroom Kingdom. Of course, wherever they go, trouble quickly follows. Bowser and his Koopa army crash the party and kidnap the princess! The brothers' mission is clear, but something seems off about Bowser'whatever may be, there's work to do! Mario and Luigi hop right to it with the help of the princess' devoted bodyguard, Agent Toad!



WHAT YOU NEED
To participate, you need only make stages in SMBX and submit them. There are some rules, though. Please read the following before diving in.

  • You need Super Mario Bros. X to make your levels.
  • You need to save your levels in this folder. Put it in SMBX's 'worlds' folder and save your levels inside. It contains resources that will be standard for the project.
  • Levels must be created for this event. Don't submit preexisting work!
  • You may use custom graphics and music, but be sure to put them in a folder with the same name as your level. This graphics pack may be useful.


Once you have the engine and the standard resources, you're ready to start! However, for your stages to be accepted, the following must be adhered to.



SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
As this game is intended to feel like a legit Mario title, there must be some consistency in the levels. For this project, you will need:

  • 1 middle ring; the checkpoint for your stage. It's the sparkly ring in the SMW NPC tab. You can't use more than one due to engine limitations, so place it wisely!
  • 5 smiley flowers; these replace dragon coins. They're also on the SMW NPC tab and your stage needs exactly five of them. They must all be obtainable in one go through the level. The debugger can tell you how many you used. For technical reasons, they must all be on the Default layer.
  • 1 end goal roulette; this gate marks the end of the stage. It's on the SMB3 NPC tab, and jumping through it ends the level. The player automatically walks to the right and off-screen when they touch it, so every level must end going to the right.


These objects will only appear if you save your level in the Super RMN World 2 folder. Include them in your stage, and beyond that, the sky's the limit! Or is it?



ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES
This game is themed around Yoshi, and SMBX has a wide variety of them. Each island has its own theme, too. Your stages need to match the themes of the islands they're being made for. The difficulty should be relative to the island's order in the game. Each island also has its own color of Yoshi, so any you include should match, and you're encouraged to use them!

  • You may only submit one stage to each island.
  • You must be able to complete each level while riding Yoshi. This means no ladders required for progress or jumps where you must ditch Yoshi. This includes boss stages (more on this later).



WIsland NameThemesYoshi
1Green Grass Islandgrass/woodGreen
2Deathly Desert Islandsand/ghostsYellow
3Giga Growth Islandplants/giantsPink
4Molten Mine Islandcave/lavaPurple
5Slip Drip Islandwater/iceLight Blue
6Sky High Islandcliffs/cloudsDark Blue
7Pyre Fire Islandfire/wastelandRed
8Brain Drain Islandpipes/factoryBlack

About boss stages, you're allowed to make them, but their rules differ slightly. Each island can only have one boss and one mini-boss. Boss stages should end with the boss room instead of the end goal roulette. Due to post-production event handling, you don't need to include an exit; the stage will end when the fight is over. Boss stages still need to be thematically appropriate and have 1 middle ring and 5 smiley flowers. The player should be able to beat the boss while riding Yoshi. The boss stages of islands 7 and 8 are reserved for story purposes.




GENERAL GUIDELINES
I know, I know, we're almost there. In addition to all of the above, please keep the following in mind:

  • Try to stick with one art style for your level. Don't mix SMB3 and SMW koopas/coins/etc.
  • Don't let mushrooms from blocks escape off nearby screen edges.
  • Since stages must end with the end goal roulette, all other exit types are banned.
  • The SMW Bowser statue and SMB3 Lakitu are banned for their quirkiness. Use the SMB3 Bowser statue and SMW Lakitu instead!
  • No swimmable waterfalls. These should be for aesthetic use only.
  • Stages must be two-player compatible. Include both player start positions and ensure the stage is passable more than once. Basically, avoid scenarios that could trap the 2nd player.
  • Prevent no-win situations. If the player isn't dead, they should still be able to complete the stage.
  • Avoid single-tile gaps. The player wall-zips if they stand up in a short passage. This can break the game sometimes, so use caution!





LEVEL FEEDBACK
'HALI THERE ARE TOO MANY RULES I HATE THIS'
I know the rules are extensive, but we're aiming to make this the best episode yet. Don't fret if you can't remember it all. As you submit your stages, I'll be reviewing them and providing feedback. You will be expected to use it to make revisions. Failure to do so may result in your levels being altered post-production, or denied completely! Users are encouraged to test each other's levels. Every bit of feedback helps!



TIMELINE
Submissions will be open for all of July. Afterward, there will be a two-week period where revisions can still be made (but no new submissions). Then the gates will shut and the rest of the game will be processed by yours truly. It will take time, but it will get done.

If you have any questions, please ask! I hope we can build a fantastic new RMN World together!

Details

  • 07/01/2016 12:00 AM
  • 08/15/2016 11:59 PM

Registration

You must be logged in to sign up for Super RMN World 2: Yoshi's Archipelago.

Participants Entries
kentona
Davenport
Jparker1984
Solitayre
Ratty524
outcry312
nin8halos
Bart_Sol
pyrodoom
Seiromem
jackalotrun
Blobofgoo
Animebryan
lonestarluigi
Jalex
TungerManU
NeverSilent
Illy
Frozen
Fflo
El_WaKa
Frogge
Punkitt
Thunder176
Kloe
KuraiYukiChan
eric00051
Entry Status Key
  • - Pending
  • - Validating
  • - Accepted
  • - Rejected

Posts

Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
author=halibabica
from Ratty524
I couldn't think of a three-word alliteration for this one, so I gave it two words instead.
"Caustic Chemical Compounds"

I got your back, bro.

I love it. Thank you.

author=halibabica
Ratty524's Rockin' Roll Ridge:I LIKE IT

COMPLAINTS TIME

- It'd be nice if you could reach the secret at the start by riding the first bouncing rock, but I couldn't do it and I'm assuming it's impossible. Make the vine into a 1-up if you think that's too easy.

- Following from the previous point, I'd like to see a vine in place of the hidden coins so you can access the sky secret without needing a leaf or Yoshi from another stage. :|

- Someone said earlier that paratroopas interact weirdly with these rocks, and from what I saw, that's true. I tried flagging the rock so it wouldn't carry NPCs, but it didn't work. I think the best course of action is to keep paratroopas reasonably far from the rocks to prevent their meeting.

- Those blocks under the checkpoint are a worthless distraction. It's hard to hit them without falling off the rock, and there be spikes down there yo! Just remove the blocks; the flower's reason enough to go down there.

- That thing you did with your P-switch is pretty rude. The bonus room is so awkward that I spent the entire time limit collecting coins and it was far too late by the time I exited. If you want to keep this setup, I'd make the flower a 3-up instead (follows well with my first complaint). I'd put the flower in the hole a short distance away so you have to ride a rock down to collect it.

- The hidden 1-up before the end is in a terrible place. A bump on the head there could put you in the spikes or the hole. It has no business being there!

- I'm not sold on those two orange pipes spitting out boulders (lol physics?). Why not flip over the giant pipe sprite instead?

In general, this is a great stage with decent W6 difficulty. I think you're just a little too devious with how you hid some stuff, and these tweaks should set it straight. Good work, bruh.

> You can't!? Riding the first rock to the start was the intention behind that secret. I may have adjusted some things that caused it to break, I'll check again.

> I don't see what's wrong with holding secrets that require power-ups from other stages, given that this is all going into an interconnected string of levels anyway. I guess I can be less reserved about it, though.

> Will do.

> They're also there to make getting the checkpoint's platform a minimal effort, iirc. I'll definitely reevaluate it.

> What exactly is "awkward" about the P-switch room? I can see how its deceptive design might frustrate some players, though. I think I'd rather rework that section to clue the player that they should leave immediately after activating the P-switch.

> I'll nix it.

> Yeeaaaah I'll see if I can whip up/find a giant pipe to replace it with, then.

Thanks!
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
from Ratty524
> I don't see what's wrong with holding secrets that require power-ups from other stages, given that this is all going into an interconnected string of levels anyway. I guess I can be less reserved about it, though.

> What exactly is "awkward" about the P-switch room? I can see how its deceptive design might frustrate some players, though. I think I'd rather rework that section to clue the player that they should leave immediately after activating the P-switch.

> Yeeaaaah I'll see if I can whip up/find a giant pipe to replace it with, then.

Although power-ups can indeed be brought in from other stages, it doesn't feel right for the solution to a problem not to exist anywhere in the level containing the problem.

The layout of the bonus room floor is what's awkward about it. Try collecting all the coins within the time limit and you may see what I mean.

There's a big pipe from SMB3's giant land you can use already in the engine. Just flip it so it faces down.
NeverSilent
Got any Dexreth amulets?
6280
I have a little question: The level I'm trying to make is supposed to alternate between underwater and normal land sections. But I don't really know what type of blocks/tiles to use as ground or walls for the underwater parts. The level uses the SMW style. (I have downloaded the expansion pack linked in the OP, in case someone knows something that's in there.)

Thanks for any help!

P.S.: Am I even allowed to create a level for world 5 that does not contain any ice or sliding mechanics?
Fflo
Be careful ! I'm French
3650
Entry submitted.
Jungle Rumble is a little inspired by jungle levels from NSMBU (world 5).

There are 3 sections:
1. Regular section, watch out for some Banzai Bills. Waterfalls are not swimmable, whereas other areas are.
2. Go into a trip on toxic brown water ! There's a flower-spawning pipe, if you have trouble.
3. (BONUS) Read the sign, it's inspired from Captain Olimar's speech (Pikmin).

By the way, music is Pikmin's theme. And I tried custom for the first time !
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
author=NeverSilent
I have a little question: The level I'm trying to make is supposed to alternate between underwater and normal land sections. But I don't really know what type of blocks/tiles to use as ground or walls for the underwater parts. The level uses the SMW style. (I have downloaded the expansion pack linked in the OP, in case someone knows something that's in there.)

Thanks for any help!

P.S.: Am I even allowed to create a level for world 5 that does not contain any ice or sliding mechanics?

When in doubt, look up screenshots.



Most SMW water levels use standard cave tiles. Considering your level is in World 5, however, I'd recommend going for a color scheme that's a bit more "icy."
Frogge
I wanna marry ALL the boys!! And Donna is a meanc
18536
author=NeverSilent
P.S.: Am I even allowed to create a level for world 5 that does not contain any ice or sliding mechanics?

I think it's also a water world, so non-ice beach levels are fine I think?

E: Maybe you wanna give this icy cave tileset by valterri a try? It's... somewhere... in the pack.
NeverSilent
Got any Dexreth amulets?
6280
Thanks a lot, you both! That's very helpful. I'll try to use this information to make something good.

Edit:
And thank you too, halibabica!
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
from NeverSilent
Am I even allowed to create a level for world 5 that does not contain any ice or sliding mechanics?

The climate of Slip Drip is supposed to be cold, but that doesn't mean everything has to be snowy or icy. Just make sure it doesn't look too warm, I guess.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
Make your level themed around ice cream that's slippery and shows "drips" as a clever way to circumvent the rules.
NeverSilent
Got any Dexreth amulets?
6280
author=Ratty524
Make your level themed around ice cream that's slippery and shows "drips" as a clever way to circumvent the rules.

That sounds like something Kloe should do.
Kloe
I lost my arms in a tragic chibi accident
2236
author=NeverSilent
author=Ratty524
Make your level themed around ice cream that's slippery and shows "drips" as a clever way to circumvent the rules.
That sounds like something Kloe should do.

Something that I tried and then I broke the level and I'm still working on a level despite it taking 14 days so far! Super Mario X is hard!!
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
from Kloe
Super Mario X is hard!!

Anything in particular I can help you with? I know the engine mostly through and through.
Kloe
I lost my arms in a tragic chibi accident
2236
No, it's okay, I'm just a bit rubbish :D
I just handed in my two levels, if anything needs changing, let me know. I had a lot of trouble, two levels swiftly drained me of creativity so I've decided to stop there. I was so excited to make a level for each world, but uhhh... I don't want to force myself and end up making something bad(or even worse if these two levels are considered bad. And I call myself a level designer sometimes, yeesh). I'm pretty satisfied with them as they are simple levels, probably not very long for most people. My desert level is kinda harder than the ice one from what I noticed from testing. So a desert level and snow level will be my contribution.
I couldn't find the tileset I wanted for Deep Sea in the pack I was suggested(though thanks for the suggestion, it may be useful later).
The reason why I considered "stealing" the tileset used in Water Temple is because that's pretty much what it is, a water temple. It's a temple at the bottom of the sea.
I couldn't find a proper background that would make it look like a closed off temple that would have water in it.

Procrastination grabbed me for the past five days, but I should be done with Aerial Garden by either tomorrow or the day after for reviewing.
Solitayre
Circumstance penalty for being the bard.
18257
Sinister Crypt is great. Feels similar to an SMB3 fortress level.
Solitayre
Circumstance penalty for being the bard.
18257
Chemical Compound love it.

Forgotten Dunes has invisible blocks! and pairing lakitu with wide swaths of quicksand is barbaric.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
Davenport's Blazing Inferno:

Hey, your music isn't broken! And the stage is pretty interesting, too! I like a lot of what you have here, but there are a couple things bringing it down that will need fixed.

- You went overboard with the graphics again. I don't know how many of those 631 files you actually used, but you should clean out the unnecessary stuff!

- The upper path has gotta go. There's no justification for letting the player skip that much of the stage; not even the 1-up. Remove that bridge entirely.

- That lightning bolt at the start is just plain ugly. Get rid of it.

- The blinking exclamation marks aren't really needed. You can take them out.

- I like these rolling rocks, but Ratty already used this gimmick in his Rockin' Roll Ridge stage. That's okay, though, because I think we can take this in a different direction. Your rocks look more red than his (and more dangerous to touch). If you remove the 'jumphurt=0' and 'playerblocktop=1' flags from the npc-36 text file, they'll be harmful jump on. Naturally, this means you can't ride them, but it changes the dynamic of the stage, too. The player can still spin jump on them, so it would work out. While you're at it, add a 'noyoshi=1' tag so Yoshi can't eat them.

- Why are there no power-ups near the start? Move one of the blocks from the 2nd flower to here instead. Also, NO MUSHROOMS IN BLOCKS. Seriously, how many times have I told you?
NO MUSHROOMS IN BLOCKS!
PUT IN OTHER POWER-UPS!


- The 1st flower is really easy to get. I'd extend the length of the rock-creating tunnel and put it just before the generator.

- The volcano rocks are a cool hazard, but they generate too fast and the rocks end up knocking each other out. They also don't fall through the floor like they're supposed to. Sadly, this NPC is simply unusable. There is an alternative, though. Change the filenames to 'npc-92' and use the following flags:

grabtop=0
grabside=0
jumphurt=1
playerblock=0
playerblocktop=0
npcblock=0
npcblocktop=0
nohurt=0
nofireball=1
noiceball=0
score=1
foreground=1
frames=2
framespeed=5
framestyle=0

This turns the SMB2 vegetable into a damaging projectile. They won't home in on the player, but they'll spew out randomly like a proper volcano. Replace all your volcano rocks with these!

- Introducing two volcanoes right next to each other is too much at once. Keep only one volcano for the first time they're seen.

- The blocks these mushrooms are in don't match the darker ones you use later. Make them the same color of block!

- I know you put red coins behind those lava falls. Get rid of them! There are a few other coins in the stage that don't match the ones at the start.

- If you restart from the checkpoint, it puts you on top of the mountain it's next to. I'd move it to before the lava geysers in place of the rolling rock that's there.

- The blocks and bricks after the checkpoint are very high off the ground. Lower them so they're easier to hit. In fact, double-check all your hittable blocks; they should be no higher than 4 tiles off the ground.

- If you want to put a flower behind a lava fall, at least make the lava fall one tile wide so you can see the flower poking out on either side.

- The slide near the end of the first section dumps you right in the lava! Position your platforms so it's safe to slide!

- I notice your lava wall doesn't actually start when you enter the final section. I tried the following and it worked out pretty well: create a new event that triggers the lava event after 2.5 seconds. Have the lava wall move at speed 3.5. Only put one coin under the entrance pipe, and set it to trigger the lava's timer on death (not on activate). Test it out and see what you think.

- Those bats would look better in Yoshi's Island style.

- I like those nippers, but that's a bad NPC to use for them. Change the filenames to npc-129 to make them behave like tweeters instead.

- The skull raft's hit box got messed up by its text file. They're the same as a normal skull raft, so you don't need a text file at all.

Some of the stuff I'm asking here is a little complicated, so let me know if you need any help. This stage has some really awesome potential, and this feedback should do the trick!
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
Ratty524's Boom-Boom Bastille:

Hmmmm, I dunno how I feel about this one. I'm okay with the concept, but using the hard path to create two levels in one doesn't sit right with me. It doesn't help that some of these fights feel more compelling than others. Personally, I think there's one good stage in here somewhere between the two paths.

- You're really, really generous with power-ups in this stage. I think I found multiple items between every Boom-Boom fight on both paths. You shouldn't need this many, and we don't have to worry about player 2. Take out half of them.

- The thwomp hallway was really tedious the first time I went through it. I gunned it the second time just to see, and sure enough it was much easier. But for cautious players, it's a pain in the butt. I'd take out a few thwomps so it's not so dense.

- I like the bonus room connected to the path with the fire-spitting piranhas, but the trouble with that is they can cause a division by zero error when they're on-screen with pipe warps. I'd move the entrance to a lower pipe and replace the ground-floor fire spitters with normal plants.

- The bullet bill path isn't difficult so much as it is just plain tedious. Bills are easier to deal with horizontally than vertically. Jumping into the line of fire feels difficult for the wrong reasons.

- Since this is a mini-boss stage, you don't need an exit for the level. It will end in the chamber of the final Boom-Boom.

Now, regarding these Boom-Boom fights...as I said before, some are better than others. I hate to say this, but I think aspects of the easy and hard path should be merged into one ordinary route through the stage. You could still have a single branch somewhere with a tougher fight for the hammer suit, but including the entire hard path feels unnecessary to me. There are four fights on each route for eight total; if you included one extra in addendum to the main path, that'd be five in all. Here are my thoughts on each:

E-1: Standard Boom-Boom warmup fight. Good choice.
E-2: The podoboos make this more of an interesting challenge.
E-3: The thwomps don't really add anything to this one. It's very basic.
E-4: The fire spitters make this hard in a bad way. Having only one would balance it out.

H-1: Two Boom-Booms standard warmup fight. Okay for the hard start, but not main stage material.
H-2: The lava ceiling seems like a threat, but really isn't unless you're really dumb.
H-3: The bullet bills are certainly an element to watch for.
H-4: This fight has an overwhelming number of things going on. The rising platforms are a huge distraction while three Boom-Booms are running amok and thwomps are falling on you. Ick.

Looking at these, I'd keep E-1, E-2, H-3, and E-4 in that order. H-4 can be the alternate finale, but both E-4 and H-4 need nerfed. Like I mentioned, E-4 would be a lot more doable with only one fire spitter. In H-4, there should only be two Boom-Booms, and the layout of the room could use some changes. The rising platforms are a serious distraction and can crush the bosses against the ceiling, so I'd try to do without them. What you could try is to combine the elements of the previous fights by using podoboos and bullet bills. If you use the thwomp corridor to lead to this room, they could be part of it as well.

I feel bad asking all this of you 'cuz I can tell you put some real effort into how this stage works. However, it's the only stage like this and the notion of two separate paths doesn't really work in this project. Give it some thought and try me with an update later.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
Seiromem's Fiery Fumes:

Fumes? I think the word you're looking for might be 'Flumes'. Anyway, this is pretty good for W7. Just a few beefs with how it works here.

- You don't need to double-up on power-ups at the start.

- Although bandits are cool enemies, their being fireproof is a real nuisance here. Even Yoshi's fireballs can't destroy these guys. I don't think we need to remove them, though. If you replace them with the Chargin' Chuck bullies we used in RMN World 1, that would fit better. Either way, you shouldn't give them cliffturn.

- I can't believe I have to ask this, but could you try to make the lava geysers less phallic? I did something similar in the 'Mr. Freeze' stage from RMN World 1, if you care to check there.

- It's tough to tell sometimes when a lava geyser is about to spout, and where. Add an event in between that plays the warning sound first, then fires the geyser a second later. Also, put blue coins in the direct path of all the geysers so there's a visual indicator of where they are and how high they go.

- It's needlessly hard to reach the Yoshi that first Chuck is guarding. At least lower the box on the right so it can be reached by bouncing off the koopa.

- Completing the red coin challenge didn't make the prize appear.

- Reaching the warp to the 1-up near the start isn't as scary as it looks. I'd move the 2nd flower in there in place of the 1-up.

- The 3rd flower is a little too deviously hidden. At least bump it up a couple tiles so it can be seen at the bottom of the screen.

- The warp to the 2nd 1-up bonus is exactly as scary as it looks. I'd put the tanooki suit in there, and maybe have a hammer suit as the reward for the red coins instead.

- The final Chuck isn't set to stay still.

- Some areas of the level felt overcrowded with enemies. I'd knock out one or two from each cluster.

Apart from all this, it's looking nice; a good challenge for this late in the game.