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

Seiromem
I would have more makerscore If I did things.
6375
author=pyrodoom
No. XD DON'T LYNCH HIM.
He's a character. HE CAN BE DEVELOPED.


He already is developed.
He's a sadist, psychopathic mad scientist that everybody hates.
The end.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
author=pyrodoom
author=DarklordKeinor
author=seiromem
I'm still voting for Super Dr Toadly World.
Dr. Toadly needs to be lynched.
No. XD DON'T LYNCH HIM.
He's a character. HE CAN BE DEVELOPED.
Dr. Toadly is an example of a character who is made infamous more by his gameplay than his personality. His stages were obnoxious, he spoke with literal WALLS of text, and was involved in overly elaborate, pain in the ass boss battles. It's like Big the Cat in sonic adventure, his personally is passable, but FISHING in a SONIC GAME!? Just no.

By the way, I don't know if I talked with you about this, Hali, but PLEASE do not put in so many extra lives in the hub world. I remember how easily I got to 99 lives and everything within the levels onward became pointless.

... Or maybe I'm too good at SMBX. I think the only time I've ever gotten a game over from an SMBX game was Plumberman, and that's understandable.
masterofmayhem
I can defiantly see where you’re coming from
2610
Super Explosion World 2: the Michal Bay experience.
Mah level have been approved!
QUEST COMPLETE!
500 EXP gained
250 GP gained
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
from Ratty524
PLEASE do not put in so many extra lives in the hub world.

Hey, GRS is the one who put 15-up worth of lives in the Ultimate Warp Zone! I only gave you 3-up each time you started SRB3 (and you needed it, 'cuz that game was merciless).
How bout instead of hidden 1-ups you put in some mini-game thingys where you can score 1-ups?
Maybe a toad box thing somewhere? "Pick a box it's content's may not kill you."

Oh, and I will post the hopefully final update of Sinister Side now...
Feel the Heat should also be good to go, unless something happened when I uploaded it.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
Guys, I have terrible news.

Deckiller, nin8halos, Isrieri, and DarklordKeinor were all involved in a fatal car accident. They themselves survived, but all their computers, internet-capable devices, and copies of SMBX were on board. Nothing survived. This is definitely the only reason they haven't posted feedback for all the levels yet. I'm terribly sorry.

The good news is I'm giving us another week as a result. Best of luck to my cohorts in obtaining the means to provide thoughtful insights on the levels that remain.

On that subject, and in the interest of getting a finalized level roster...

JUDGES: if a level already has 3+ approvals, move on to others that don't. If your beefs with a level are nitpicks or small things we can adjust ourselves, give it the thumbs-up anyway. This is going to take forever as it is, so it won't hurt to expedite things a little.
Isrieri
"My father told me this would happen."
6155
I'm just lazy. :P No I've honestly been pretty busy.

Can I just be listed as Approving all the remaining levels across the board? From the looks of it they're all ones I was going to approve anyway once I got around to it.
author=halibabica
Hey, GRS is the one who put 15-up worth of lives in the Ultimate Warp Zone! I only gave you 3-up each time you started SRB3 (and you needed it, 'cuz that game was merciless).

There was also the Infinite 1-up Basement in 2! I'd do it all again in a heartbeat too, lives as they exist in Mario since SM64 are obsolete and serve little purpose only existing through sheer momentum. The only consequence of running out of lives is walking to the level again and potentially to the checkpoint. There'd have to be either a mechanical change to how lives work to make them relevant or axing them completely. Since both are impossible in SMBX I went with "allow the player to get a shit ton of lives so they can keep playing the game".

I wouldn't directly repeat what I did in RMN Bros 1 or 2 though, not in SMBX. Neither were the best fix for the problem: RMN Bros 1 lives weren't really grindable and the only easy to find moon was the house one and 2 was too effective and made coins and lives in the actual stages too irrelevant. Now I'd probably make a bit out-of-the-way power up station with a handful of lives in the early game and an easy infinite 1-up area like RMN Bros 2 in the late/end-game. The first would be grindable but getting 99 lives would take some time and not autonomous, like the Top Secret Area in SMW. The second would be more like Yoshi from Mario 64 but unlocked at the 80 star count where the remaining stars are the roughest and toughest but there's still content left in the game and decidedly post-Bowser.

e: Basically more like All-Stars /e:


But what I'd really want to do is nix lives completely and let the player accumulate coins and purchase items. Add a Mario 3 inventory and the player can buy power ups for it kinda like Mario 3. Add some automatic-use items, like a Beat knockoff where the player gets a mulligan if they fall into a pit/lava or a shield where the player can take a hit and not lose their current power up, or some activated items like a short-period star or something.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
How about no extra lives in the hub at all, and let the player find those lives for him/herself in the levels? I just like how in games before SM64 the extra lives had a bit more value, both in their novelty and the challenge they bring.

BTW Hali, you freakin' scared me with your post. It takes a bit to recognize joke posts. xD
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
from Ratty524
It takes a bit to recognize joke posts. xD

By "fatal car accident" I mean "that's what's going to happen if they don't move their butts." ;P
5 killed? So hali's dead too... Go away, ghosts! I'll call Luigi! He'll suck you up! ;D
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
Nooo, my witty jab has become an actual tragedy!

from wildwes
5 killed? So hali's dead too...

Nope, the 5th was Link_2112.
Well Hali, it's my job to fix things that don't need to be fixed.

*falcon punches Halibabica to the next universe*
author=pyrodoom
falcon punch


Relevant:

author=halibabica
Guys, I have terrible news.

Deckiller, nin8halos, Isrieri, and DarklordKeinor were all involved in a fatal car accident. They themselves survived, but all their computers, internet-capable devices, and copies of SMBX were on board. Nothing survived. This is definitely the only reason they haven't posted feedback for all the levels yet. I'm terribly sorry.


Well, I actually was in a car accident recently; I suffered no injuries, but I totaled my vehicle. Regardless, this post is kind of funny.

I'll look at all the levels again. I know I missed a few.
hali, you should be ashamed of the destruction you have wrought.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
All I wanted to do was make a good RMN Bros. game... ;A;