A History of LDC Entrants

[SuperMIC]

I already revealed the order; she's just writing about them.

...oh awkward lol. Sorry MP3! :O

[~MP3 Amplifier~]

Lolololol you awkward-silencing imp you.

(do you like the name? I do)

ANYWAYS

Top 3 silver medalists:

1) Realm of the Heavens/Parallel Spires by Volcove!

To be honest, as soon as I saw this in the poll, I knew it would get the most votes. (even if I didn't vote it myself) Well, let's see shall we? It came 3rd in WITBLO11, both entries received a high score of above 16, and above 17 for Parallel Spires. They both placed second in LDCs, one LDC being the biggest in history and the other being one of the most talented and difficult ones in history. Although Volcove would've rather had 5th at these points, 2nd is such a huge achievement and should still be recognised in that way. I personally loved it because it felt like a heaven in the clouds and at the same time, was a great platformer. I don't think I could pull this off without some kind of story, but this was entered for the 14th LDC, where stories weren't even allowed. Now that is pretty neat.

2) BrawlerEX's You Can't Escape Death and Volcove's Secret Within the Desert Sands

In my opinion, two very different entries. While the second is about the hope of reaching the beautiful oasis, the first is based around death. I gave my vote to Volcove's entry here- I think it wasn't a long time ago when I first played it, but ever since I've been addicted to looking at the transformation over and over. The graphics are wonderful and it makes you feel like you've really achieved something when you complete it. Not to mention I love the originality of the sinking sand patches at the beginning- I don't think I've ever seen them like that before.. XD And although I was strict on my judging for Brawler's level in the 19th LDC, you can't deny, it was pretty damn awesome. The only thing that let it down majorly were its amount of bugs. With more detailed playtesting and deliberate bug checks, this could've been the amazing series it would've turned out to be in the first place. The thing I remember off the top of my head was the huuuuge block boss at the end of the first part. Nice effort I have to admit. Perhaps this became so popular in such a short amount of time because of how memorable it was for everyone else, also.

3) SuperMIC and MP3 Amplifier's Journey to the Arctic and MoD's Roaming Celsius Luminary

Wow, tied again? Having a déja vu aren't you. Both received a high score of 16.08 in the 17th LDC, and they definitely deserved it. JTTA was more based around world travel if anything, but I think the humourous story is what made it so memorable and liked, am I right? As for Roaming Celsius, although MoD admitted it wasn't his best effort, I think we can all agree that he unknowingly used innovation and a creative story to grab our attention. When I started creating my Universitas level part 1, I was desperate to innovate and find something new, and then soon realised I couldn't do so until I had tested other sources of innovation for myself. I looked to RCL for graphic innovation techniques, and guess what I found- the ice blocks underneath the turf of the snow tiles, that held trees and other decoration behind them. If you are a person who's recently played Antichesm or Universitas, you should see the same technique used, but not just with ice blocks, but with EVERY TRANSLUCENT BLOCK POSSIBLE. This is what I love and will always remember about RCL, no matter how much effort you put into it MoD, you cannot deny that you used skill to create such a level. Moving back on to JTTA, while I wasn't as good and detailed a designer as I am now, I think my effort of creating the world map, Australian winter desert, Romanian mountains, European/South American winter sections and the very confusing Santa cabin definitely showed. But of course, most of the work on making the level look to its highest standard was SMIC. For me, no matter how memorable the world map was for all of you, I cannot get over how much I loved the "CAKE IS A LIE" block boss in SMIC's completely and utterly awesome first level. Since this has been a really long paragraph, I'll conclude both entries together- they both used innovation and creativity in their stories, which is why they're both evenly matched in score, votes and right next to each other in WITBLO11.



Thanks everyone, and goodnight!

[BrawlerEX]

2nd...

Again?!

[MessengerOfDreams]

Segment written on underrated LDC entries. Will write the winnings when I can.

[MessengerOfDreams]

Alright, first, here's the rest of the list as voted in the polls. 5-9 were eliminated via the polls of round two, while the rest were ranked in order of votes gainage in the first poll, but still not enough to move on.

5th) Temple of the Penguin God by Volcove (all time HoF list: #Tie 13)
6th) An Act of Antichesm by MP3 Amplifier (all time HoF list: #11)
7th) Dimension Infinity by Star king (all time HoF list: #12)
8th) Frost Glade by DarkBlaze (all time HoF list: #16)
9th) Impossible Treasures by Doram (all time HoF list: #10)

10th) Cryokenetic's Nimbus Gardens (all time HoF list: #14)
11th) Aznchau4ever's A Leisurely Voyage (all time HoF list: #18)
12th) Volcove's Paradox Bridge (all time HoF list: #7)
13th) MessengerOfDreams/Venexis' Alignment of Fates (all time HoF list:#6)
14th) Krazy321's Bowser's Volcano Lair (all time HoF list: #5)
15th) Brandobrawl's Freezeflame Galaxy (all time HoF list: N/A)
16th) Volcove's Stone Tower Temple (all time HoF list: #15)
17th) King's Goomba Valley (all time HoF list: #17)
18th) 24murph's Bowser's NEW Castle (all time HoF list: #4)
19th) Avo's Shroomsday (all time HoF list: #20)
20th) Fourinone's Arid, Arid Desert (all time HoF list: #13)
21st) Killswitch's Disaster Strikes (all time HoF list: #19)
22nd) Blablob's Tomb (all time HoF list: #8)

If you aren't fond of the order, remember it was your votes that got them there. What would you fix about that order? Everyone's different, after all.

Now, here's how the rest work. I counted the total amount of points each of the top 4 got. Bonus points were gained for winning polls. If you won a first round poll, you got 1 bonus point. Win the round 2 poll, you got two points. Since Krazy won the last poll, he gets three extra points. If you were a wild card entry of a round, you got no points. So! Let's count up from least points to most!

4) Destinations by MessengerOfDreams and Venexis- 12 points
Placing on all-time scoring list in the hall of fame: #9
Winner of 16th LDC (Musical Moods), 1st in WITBLO11, winner of Runouw Votes Winter 2012 LDC Entrant poll.
3 points in first round (Lost to Temple of the Penguin God), 6 points in second round (with two point bonus) and 1 point in final round.

The second of two winning creations of the most famous collaboration, this level used the advantages of both creators to create a stunning level, as well as constant communication and synergy so that even the elements the other was not quite familiar with were dabbled in (with Venexis joining in creating the plot and MessengerOfDreams experimenting with block usage.)

The story itself, taking inspiration from Inception and its music for the contest is what is widely remembered, as well as one of the most well known OCs in designing history, Neil Du Mal. It follows Mario as he suffers from prophetic dreams foretelling an apocalypse at the hands of a maniacal dictator named The Monster. During his waking hours he explores a skyward castle named Crossroads Castle since it is the only place in his dreams that he is familiar with. There, he meets retired Magikoopa Neil Du Mal, who offers his assistance to Mario after it is revealed that he too had the dream and it led him here. Not everything is as black and white as it seems, though.

This level clearly had the whole package; a magnificent and uncontrolled dream atmosphere, graphical majesty in the realm of Crossroads Castle, memorable story, dialogue and characters, near flawless execution, technical merit and an unforgettable, fantastic final boss. It caught on, winning multiple awards and achieving a startlingly early status as a classic. It proves that collaborations are purely possible ways to create great entries, but to do so a strong relationship and synergy is required. MessengerOfDreams with his storyboarding and artistic vision and Venexis with his technical magnificence and attention to detail were that dynamic duo who also rubbed off of each other a fair bit.

3) Ethereal Mansion by Fourinone- 12 points
Place on all time scoring list in the hall of fame: #3
Winner of the 4th LDC (Halloween), 2nd in WITBLO09 and the original WITBLOAT, one of only five 18+ scores handed out in LDCs
4 points in first round (losing to Penguin God), 3 points in second round (with two point bonus) and 3 points in last round.

One of the most influential levels in level designing history, Fourinone's level, with all its innovation and technical merit, is incredibly simplistic in form. With the exception of a few simple glitches, the graphics are deliberately sparse and bare, the platforming challenges are classic and seamless and overall it has the feel of a very lithely formed level. Fourinone himself has reportedly claimed that it took him only a few hours to create this legendary level. Perhaps it is its simplicity that makes it so stunning that it has transformed the designing game as we know it.

Regardless, it deserves massive respect for just how much it accomplished so easily. The trick-or-treating scene is easily one of the most memorable moments in all of levelkind, but as soon as you enter the mansion everything instantly changes from jovial to serious as a heart attack. The black background brings a sheer of terror to the minimalist tile scheme with only a sparse few ghosts to keep you a woeful company. The series of challenges slow escalates from maneuvering around a block through tight spaces to being frozen in fear around a challenging series of platforms, until you encounter the final boss which delivers an astonishingly spot-on Miyamoto feel. For such a swiftly made level, Fourinone possesses a prodigious amount of detail to everything, coming up with simple yet stunning new ideas and making this level remarkably bug-free to a point rarely ever accomplished. The atmosphere is nailed perfectly, as well as a thin but enjoyable storyline. Top it off with a secret silver star challenge and a memorable cameo by Fourinone's most legendary character, and you have a simplistic yet inimitable level altogether, designer contest or no.


Now, which one is in the lead and which one's second? Well, I'm prepared for a little controversy but the polls don't lie. After a second confirmation from MP3 Amplifier, here are our top two.

[MessengerOfDreams]

2) Space Colony by Krazy321-14 points
Winner of the 5th LDC (Unfinished Level, where you are tasked to finish a template of a 24murph level), highest LDC score in history, 4th in WITBLO09, winner of the first LDC entry Runouw Votes awards
4 points in first round (losing to Dark), 2 points in second round (losing to Ethereal Mansion), 5 points in final poll and 3 point victory points.

Even in the beginning, when the designers were just finding out the brilliance of the designer and were creating brilliant stuff left and right, yet were still just rightfully impressionable by the new fangled designer to be impressed easily, Space Colony still managed to blow absolutely everyone away. There was so much innovative about the single level itself that it still is mindboggling.

It has one of the best self-contained and most original atmospheres and worlds ever, ever seen. The Colony is so utterly convincing that it's hard to believe it is based off of a 32 bit Mario flash game. The graphics are simply magnificence and the setting is literally and metaphorically out of this world. The story is told expertly through scattered penguin researchers that bring such a correspondence to the level that it's easy to imagine yourself as a soldier studying and defending a brave new world. And isn't that what it's all about, imagination?

The platforming and gaming challenge in and of itself is certainly nothing to trifle with- the five silver star challenge is difficult enough in itself, seeing as there are no checkpoints around, but it's just balanced enough so it's relatively possible to accomplish a victory first try with some fancy keywork. It's clear that Krazy put massive amount of thought and detail into that part of the level, providing both basic platforming and boss-like, mysterious missions.

A masterpiece like this involves nothing short of 110% effort and skill, and it's clear that Krazy did this very, very well. That's what made him a legend and an ITEMS member, and that's what made this one of the best LDC entries of all time.


So, this must mean number one is...


1) Dark by MessengerOfDreams- 16 points
Winner of the 18th LDC (Freestyle), second highest LDC score in history and first 18+ in two and a half years, staggering amount of praise despite being out for only three months.
5 points in round one (as well as a round-winning bonus), 5 points in round two (as well as a two point round-winning bonus), 3 points in round three

(I'm going to drop the third person pretext. Seeing as this is number one, it'd just be pretentious.)

When I started out on Dark, I had one intent in mind. I told myself "MoD, here's what you do- you need to make a level unlike any other that has ever been created before."

A bit of background- being autistic, I am occasionally prone to extreme obsessions on a certain subject. One of these has been a long-lasting drive and thirst for knowledge on all things level designing. That's why this topic of research exists, that's why the WITBLO series exists, that's why the tier list exists- one autistic teenager's obsession with creating the chronicle of the Super Mario 63 level designing industry.

Of course, with all this obsession, I had a drive to create something to be remembered as a bold, unforgettable tapestry of the history of SM63 Designing, and that's how Dark was created. I think, frankly, that it shows throughout the level.

The vision in mind was an interactive movie, something I've always wanted to direct. Super Mario 63 was my canvas and the story was mine. I think that this is the most intricate, in-depth and probably the best story used in SM63, and I'm sure many would dare to agree. This is in part due to the fact that I decided to write an actual story within the level, whether through signs or off-site. The story itself follows a man who lost his memory waking up in a place that he has never seen before. The only thing he has is a compelling urge to fix the fact that there is no light within the world, and that's what leads him on an unimaginable journey throughout this strange world.

To accompany this story are graphics that are nearly flawless, with only a few faults. Not only that, they were innovative. I used a technique that I had stumbled upon myself but had in fact been tested by graphical messiah Nin10mode before, but the in-depth usage of such blocks was also sparked by my in-depth incorporation, I'd like to admit. Not only are the usually observed graphics well done, but there are also other exceptional sights, such as the light bridge in part 1, that have certainly not been forgotten. Add some specific set pieces designed like a physical one would be, and it's an atmosphere and experience like no other.

While this is not the first story driven level, it's the most extensive, and it's one of the few to properly add in fun gameplay in the form of classic platforming with a few twists (traversing a brick bridge as it's being destroyed from underneath you). It's excessive, for better or worse, but it's often exhilarating. The attention to detail is surprisingly above my typical ability since I usually suck eggs at this. I made sure to, even if not iron out all the bugs, make sure everything was up to my artistic vision- the music choices were pre-tested many times, the aforementioned set pieces, making sure I could logistically beat the level, adding three endings and working literally hundreds of hours to finish this series.

Notably, it's one of the few levels that, due to my playing anything I can get my hands on, have balanced fun, graphics, originality, attention to detail, story, atmosphere and memorability to a point where the focus of one has not eliminated focus on another. And as a result, it is likely the reason that this has achieved such a status as a classic in a staggeringly swift amount of time (the contest has only been over for a couple of months) and has gotten such memorable acclaim. I set out trying to make a level like no other, and I certainly succeeded. I do not think that Dark will be forgotten in the history of designing. In fact, I do not believe any of these four will be forgotten.





That's the list. Yes, I topped it, but I do believe all 22 of these levels are detrimental to the legacy of the SM63 designer, from the controversial to the clean sweeps to the memorable ones to the gems, to the roaring legacies and the quieter masterpieces, all 22 levels deserved their win or at least their notoriety. If you haven't played them all, give yourself a history lesson and try it!

~MoD

P.S. Sometime this July you can see the bugtested and cleaned versions of Dark in their own topic, with a lengthy preamble on the history of its creation.

[~MP3 Amplifier~]

Whoo congrats MoD! And congrats to all the highest placers too- i have to say i'm shocked i'm 6th O.o