~The Third 25quared Contest~

[~Yuri]

Yurimaster,I would like to know how to add fancy decorations in a level pretty much made out of moving blocks,that would be really helpful because non of the background tiles actually move.

For what I know there are no background tiles or items that can move, but you could use some buried trees and branches in the sand. Not only it'd make it better to identify that it is quicksand, but would also make the level look more beautiful. Maybe also some ruined like background tiles, to give you a feel of being inside the tower. Some tiles surrounding the blocks from outside would also help.

[NanTheDark]

Lemme see... the main criticisms for my level... it's kind of hard to see among all the praise, especially considering a couple judges didn't really state any flaws in some categories (but still didn't give me full points )... but I gather it's this:

-The level is too short (Yuri)

Justification: The idea was to make the level like... fast. Something you could actually clear quite fast.
I knew that it would be too short still... in a way that's why I added those achievements. Especially the Coin one. It would give you more time to appreciate the level. It gave more replay value, making the level's life a bit longer.
Also, the tree concept. That's actually I've been wanting to implement in levels for a while now. You'd also take a while to realize you can jump on trees.

-The final part is too close to the ceiling, it's hard to navigate (MP3)

Justification: I had to make do with the 25x25 area... I guess it is a error in design, anyway, but still.

-The graphics are odd at parts and tiles don't match too much (everyone in a way...)

Justification: I wanted to add more castle tiles for the side buildings, but as I experimented with it, I realized it didn't look too well and it limited me a little in what I could design, given the way those tiles work. That's why I started using Block tiles and stuff. Maybe I need a bit more experience and trial and error with tiles, I don't know. I often see judges loving weird stuff anyway.
As for the mushroom vines, I was just trying to make wires, and a structure with them. I thought of using metal platforms, but there were was the issue that they were still interactable with. And I could disable them, but I would be unable to rotate them.
Also, Yuri, I CAN'T JUST SPAM TREES EVERYWHERE

-The Goomba by the top door (MK)

Justification: ...Ok that's my bad. xD

I can learn from these, anyway. I might consider modifying some things in the level, and maybe the level will be more appreciated then. I dunno.

I guess one of the problems I've had when designing levels is that I always try to push a concept. Like, a single concept. Like in this case, a fast, speedrunable level. However... That's not how LDCs work. You need to throw as much stuff as you can into the level, stuff that all judges may like. Heh... in this case I should have thrown in a puzzle, a captivating story, and maybe some other things xD Oh well. I'm not really gonna move away from that concept now... but I'll consider some general complaints.

But the next time I make a level for an LDC, I guess I'll just make a level that can be enjoyed by every judge. A Gold Bait, if you will. :3

This was a good experience. See you guys in the next LDC.





By the way, yesterday someone told me, that the trick is not to know how to get up after a fall. It's to be able to make the most out of the fall, and being able to take it as a boost for the future.

[Harmless]

The Parakoopa is unavoidable, and SM63's movement mechamics are so unpredictable it may as well be luck

Does it really matter?

No, because apparently you really hated it that much in terms of almost everything.

But the Parakoopa is unavoidable, and as bad as SM63's controls may be, it's not at all luck based.

[*Emelia K. Fletcher]

Harmless, scratch my entire judging and read this abridged version of it: "Your level is great but real ♥♥♥♥' hard and SM63's controls don't let me enjoy it whatsoever"

[NanTheDark]

This post by NanTheDark was thumbed up by:

CedarBranch (April 29th, 2014, 7:50 am)

[*Emelia K. Fletcher]

Alright it's near unavoidable for me is this fine yet

[Asterocrat]

A bug report, though: if you're in the area where you need the Bullet Bill defeated, it won't actually spawn - you have to go a little bit to the left so that the screen scrolls before it shows up. Minor, but an annoyance.

I couldn’t work out where I could find a bullet bill close enough to actually break them

I'm surprised I didn't make it obvious enough. I added a lot of moving arrows, even placed a sign telling you to BRING a Bullet Bill... Anyway, you were supposed to go far enough on the left for the for the red Bullet Bill to spawn, and then jump on that other Bullet Bill, go to the other side of the pipe, and defeat it right in time. Else there wouldn't have been any challenge... Now that I think about it, I could have made it more obvious.

Oh, and some participants brought up a discussion about my judging (in chat). I know I said "whatevs" but I kept thinking about it. Indeed, I might have been underrating levels in the Fun section (a good example of that would be MK's level), but I also realized that I overrated a lot of level's graphics. So this pretty much doesn't change anything as the changes compensate. It's just personal, I'll keep that in mind for my next LDC.

[MessengerOfDreams]

*holds on to sixth place ribbon defensively*

[Asterocrat]

*holds on to sixth place ribbon defensively*

Don't worry, I don't question your sixth place ribbon I think all my OVERALL scores are very fair and exactly what they deserve to me. It's just the DETAILS that bugged some of you, but also me.

[MessengerOfDreams]

It's all the people who keep questioning their placement who didn't place in the top 6 and are trying to get in