Ends 04/01/2013 03:59 AM

Judges
halibabica
Deckiller
nin8halos
DarklordKeinor
Isrieri

RMN's Mario series takes its next big step!

WHAT IS THIS?

Super RMN World is a community collaborative game where everyone uses the Super Mario Bros. X engine to create Mario levels! The stages are submitted by members of RMN and compiled at the end of the event. This is the 4th installment of the series and hopes to be the most solid and enjoyable one yet.

Everyone is free to join whether you've used SMBX before or not. You need SMBX to participate. If you don't have it, you'll need to download it.

You may also want to pick up the graphics pack by Red Yoshi and supermarioman. It has many nice resprites for your stages.

STORY

As a peace offering for his past misdoings, Eli has constructed an art gallery and presented it to Mario and his friends. The paintings inside shimmer mysteriously; they're almost too real! Eli's waiting at the end to hear what his guests have to say, but can he really be trusted?

SUBMISSION RULES

  • Levels must be made in SMBX v1.3
  • Levels must be made FOR THIS PROJECT! No pre-made levels will be accepted!
  • Levels must end in ONE SMB3 STAR. Furthermore, this star must be placed in the square frame with the black jagged backdrop like in SMB3. The only exceptions to this rule are mini-boss stages, where the star may appear in the room after the fight.
  • Levels must contain FIVE DRAGON COINS. These are the SMW coins with the Yoshi emblem. These will be resprited into RMN Coins in the full game. Thematic resprites are allowed so long as they remain recognizable.
  • Levels must have a DIFFICULTY RATING from 1-8. This determines what world it will go too. It may be adjusted depending on many factors.
  • Levels must be submitted with the format "YourUserName_DifficultyRating_LevelName"
  • This naming rule applies to the compressed file you submit to the event, not the actual .lvl file. If you use any custom graphics or music, put the files in a folder with the EXACT SAME NAME as the .lvl file. You can make mp3's work in SMBX by specifying the file path in the Custom space (ex: Level Name/Name of Song.mp3). DO NOT PUT THE LEVEL FILE IN THIS FOLDER. Create a compressed file with everything included.

    You may submit up to EIGHT LEVELS, and you can't submit more than one level to the same world. Worlds have no specific themes. Levels may be denied for quality reasons. If your level is denied, you can fix it up and resubmit it. If you want to submit more than eight, you'll have to withdraw another first.

TESTING AND FEEDBACK

Super RMN World is raising its standards considerably. The five judges, halibabica, Deckiller, nin8halos, Isrieri, and DarklordKeinor will be critiquing the levels. Heed their advice, as they won't let anything sub-par through! You can adjust your levels as many times as needed, but don't expect to get in without a well-designed stage! A level will only be admitted after three judges approve it.

All feedback will be included in the Super RMN World Wiki. Click your username on the main page to find your level list. Click the level names to see the judges' feedback. Click the 'Talk' icon to post questions or comments. When at least three judges list 'Approved', the level's ready to go.

Although the judges will be testing each level thoroughly, participants are strongly encouraged to do the same. Every bit of criticism helps. Below is some advice to consider while designing your levels, among other criteria they must meet.

For good examples of the quality we're looking for, check out Super RMN All-Stars, Super Talking Time Bros 1+2 and Mario vs. The Moon Base.

GENERAL ADVICE

  1. Graphical Consistency
  2. SMBX uses graphics from many different games. Just because you have them at your disposal doesn't mean you should use them. Pick a theme for your level and use graphics/enemies that fit together visually.

  3. Pacing
  4. Your levels should have a rhythm to them. Challenging sections should be offset with easier parts. Power-ups should be spaced well enough apart, but not so far that the player gets desperate. Try not to throw in too much (or little) of anything.

  5. Aesthetics
  6. Use your tile sets properly and fill background space adequately. Don't leave it too empty, but don't clutter it up too much, either.

  7. Completable
  8. This means it shouldn't contain any no-win situations. The player mustn't become hopelessly trapped. Similarly, they shouldn't be able to die after collecting the star. Check to make sure they can't fall off any cliffs after getting it.

  9. Lengthy
  10. Don't make your level too short OR too long. Consider where to put your checkpoint. It shouldn't take too long to reach it, nor to reach the end from the checkpoint. Keep in mind what they player has to do in each stretch of level.

  11. Purposeful
  12. Give your level a reason to exist. Try not to make it bland or forgettable.

LEVEL CRITERIA

  1. Checkpoints
  2. Every level should have one. If it can't for specific reasons (auto-scrolling, switch block shenanigans, etc.), then don't make the stage too long. SMBX can only support one checkpoint per level, so multiples don't work. Like Dragon Coins, you may resprite it so long as it's still recognizable.

  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; give the player Fire Flowers or Leaves. 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. Incidentally, SMB2 enemies and Nipper plants will be changed to be vulnerable to fireballs for this project.

  5. Banned Objects
    • SMB2 Crystal Ball, SMB3 Roulette, SMB3 ? Ball, SMW Keyhole, SMW Exit Gate
    • All banned because they end the level. All levels must end with an SMB3 Star.

    • 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 Star
    • These were used as Secret Stars in Super RMN Bros. 3, but they're more trouble than they're worth. You may not use them.

  6. Bosses
  7. Boss stages will be handled by the judges. You may still use boss NPCs in your stages, but only as mini-bosses. The fights must be kept simple and easier, so don't go overboard.

  8. Different Characters
  9. Mario, Luigi, Toad, Peach, and Link will be available to play as from the start, and all levels must be completable with all characters. You can't make a level where the player is forced to be a specific character. However, you can include a character block at the start if you want to recommend someone in particular. Let the player decide if they want to be that character or not, and don't include sections only they can get through (such as a pit only Peach could hover across).

  10. Player 2 Start
  11. SMBX has the option to play with a friend, so you need to include P1 and P2's start positions. Make sure your level can be completed by two players. Avoid situations where one player can get through while the other is stuck. The following are a few things you can do to make your level P2 safe:

    • Don't block the level's main path with character blocks. All characters need to be able to get through, even in 1P mode.
    • Use generators for things like falling platforms, P-Switches, or in any instance where the player needs an NPC to advance.
    • Place exit warps carefully. If P2 warps into a spot P1 already occupies, collision detection bumps them apart, and possibly into nearby hazards. Warp exits should be safe anyway, so design carefully.

  12. Misc. Stuff
    • Tutorials
    • A tutorial level will be provided that explains the mechanics of SMBX, covering both the basics and advanced stuff.

    • Water
    • All water must be SWIMMABLE. By contrast, waterfalls must NOT be swimmable. Don't fill your pits with water if they're supposed to be bottomless.

    • Pipes, Doors, and Carry Items
    • All entrances in SMBX are set to disallow the player from carrying an item with them. Make sure you set them to allow carrying NPCs.

    • 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. This can break the game in some places. Just don't do it.

    • 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. See this screen sides tutorial for more info.

PROJECT TIMELINE

Signups begin NOW, and EVERYONE is free to join! The project will run for one month (all of March), and levels may be submitted for testing during this time. When the month is up, no more levels will be accepted. For one week after, existing levels may still be updated based on feedback. Beyond that, no more revisions will be allowed and the full game will be produced. It may take a while, but the end result will be worth it. Now, get cracking! Let's make this the best community Mario game yet!

Registration

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

Participants Entries
Blitzen
kentona
halibabica
GreatRedSpirit
Davenport
Jparker1984
Desmo360
Redd
Solitayre
Ratty524
Decky
outcry312
Gigabowser
nin8halos
pyrodoom
Seiromem
jackalotrun
DarklordKeinor
masterofmayhem
apa649
Carbz300
Blobofgoo
Tomstar
Isrieri
wildwes
GloopMaster
lonestarluigi
Thiago76590
andreea7214

Posts

halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
Haven't played it yet, wouldn't know.
It's the best zelda game ever made, in my opinion, other than ocarina.
I highly recommend any true zelda fan to play it at least once.
Anyways, I placed a link block right outside the tree.
A blue door was also added to help guide him up the first interior section.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
So I noticed Hali uploaded two new levels. Here is my feedback, if you want it.

Flight of the Phanto Koopa
- I'd replace or get rid of that green shelled Koopa Troopa near the start. If you are standing completely still you might get cheaply hit. Starting points are typically supposed to be safer zones, so that the player can easily recuperate in preparation for the level.

- This is for world 4, right? Why do you need to have Navi lecture about dealing with homing koopas and spin-jumping? The spin-jump tip in particular doesn't even apply to all characters (Link and Peach). I think you should get rid of both Navis entirely, because if this is World 4 boss level, than the player should probably know how to deal with all this stuff by now.

- If you are married to the navis, however, maybe you could have them give a tip to beating the trap sections with the homing phanto koopas instead. I think it would be more relevant and could possibly prevent confusion as to who to beat first in the eyes of virgin players.

- Not sure how I feel about the free fire flower at the start of the boss room. It's not the fact that it's a free powerup before a boss that bugs me, I think this is actually a good move, it's just that it feels kind of forced. Say a player entered the level with a Hammer suit, and wants to KEEP that hammer suit throughout (only Mario and Luigi can store powerups, mind you), but here you force him/her to play with a fire flower. That could irritate some people. You might be better off making it into a normal mushroom... OR you could leave that flower in a bubble, similar to the hidden bubbled mushroom you already have in the room, and placed at a distance away from where the player enters. This way, you give the player an option of whether to take that powerup or not.

- Overall a decent level. Homing koopas are still kind of a pain to deal with even with your advice. I liked the branching paths that led to secrets such as the P-switch room.

Dis Respect
- Feels like a spiritual successor to that metroid level you made in RMNBros 3. By no means a bad thing. :P

- I'm iffy about the "hidden" saw blade near the start of the level (it's just out of sight from the player's starting position). If you don't pick it up, this level is hard as heck because you really can't kill anything unless you are playing as Link, but on the OTHER hand, if you find it, the level becomes almost a cakewalk. If you want to keep the sawblade,I recommend making it visible from the start, or just leave it out.

- Speaking of the starting section, either the platform with the sawblade item or the one you start on needs to be extended a tile or two. It's extremely hard for Link to get back onto the starting platform after jumping to the sawblade area to get the first Dragon Coin, and I just kept dying.

- I like the secret with that beetle enemy and the lower portal at the first section. It can be a little bit glitchy to get there, though. Maybe replace the beetle with that red, torpedo shaped thing (I don't know the Metroid enemies) because I think it has a wider hit box.

- In the section just after the checkpoint, where you have to jump on beetles to move up a platform, I'd shave off one row of tiles from the ceiling to make jumping to the next ledge less cumbersome.

- Those green, hopping bugs are a pain, especially the one that is close to the powerup just before the boss door. I'd get rid of that particular one.

- The boss wasn't so bad, but it does have a glitch. After being the boss, if you take the star and land on the descending platform where Mother Brain was (from within your cage), you will get "crushed" as the Mother Brain platform intersects your cage and die. It seems like the star still counts, though, but that's something to be aware of.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
Thanks for the feedback, Ratty! I'll look into those things eventually.
So, I hope you finish this by new year's eve of 3487. Because if you don't, that would just be sad.
It looks good kentona, but wouldn't it look better with
author=LockeZ
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
@box art: HELL YES

@pyrodoom: You're probably one update away from finished, bro.

@Davenport: You said you're fine with the tree section, but the judges that haven't approved your level aren't. All three of them. If you're unwilling to change anything, I'm afraid you're screwed.

The end is near. I can *feel* it!
Isrieri
"My father told me this would happen."
6155
You guys best count yourselves lucky I'm not in charge of this event, otherwise it would have ended a month ago.

author=kentona
Super RMN World

I'd buy it.
Yay!
I fixed the remaining issues with the level, by adding the bridge thing to the end of the level like Isrirei wanted, but changed the background. I also added both SMB2 and SMB3 enemies. Really, I added Snifits and Koopas, but still. .3. I also changed the amount of Lakitus, taking away the red coin ones as well.
I moved it down to a 4, because I don't want it to be a 3. That would make it go BAM, BAM, BAM, with all my levels in the first 3 worlds. I wanted to space it out for when I see people play my levels in the Let's Plays of this game. *evil laugh*
Isrieri
"My father told me this would happen."
6155
pyrodoom, I've approved Cloudsdale Sanctuary.
Cloudsdale Sanctuary is approved.
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
Same here.

I believe that covers everything. Did we miss any other levels that still need to be approved besides Judge Levels?
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
Faron Woods. It's the last one.
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
Still not feeling that tree interior section, I'm afraid. Either Isrieri or Darklord will have to approve for it to be accepted.
I will omit the interior section if necessary or convert it into an elevator.
Pending..
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
I think you should either omit it or keep it really simple. The level will be one of the most atmospheric in the project once you do that!
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
To be honest, I'm not really sure what the other judges' problems with it are. Maybe I'm just more accepting of weird stuff in trees (ever since Super Paper Mario, at least), but I think the level would be too short with it cut out completely. Maybe you guys should give more specific advice on what you do/don't like about it?