EVENT 3: Super Mario 63 Level Designing Contest

by **Supershroom** » December 5th, 2015, 3:04 am

Okay, what the ♥♥♥♥ YB and awesomeguy. I'LL NEVER EVER HELP YOU AGAIN. THIS IS TRUE MVP-SHIP. :troll:

And what the ♥♥♥♥ Jumbo, you've TIED with me and I've PROMISED you a medal from the 30th LDC but now you HAVE it already. And MP3 becomes the THIRD person to COMPLETE the GRAND SLAM. Could it be more ironic?

Judgings be here and statistics as well. Come on Pete, please don't loose faith into your abilities and there's always next time. And you're also moving up two places.

Spoiler: show

And here are your merry statistics!

Spoiler: show

by **Doram** » December 5th, 2015, 3:04 am

Well, here are my judgings.

[div textcolor=white bgcolor=#555 width:100]Mario's Mysterious Merry-go-round by Supershroom

Overall: 15/20, Review: show

[/div][div textcolor=white bgcolor=#555 width:100]Pillar of Power by 1018peter

Overall: 11/20, Review: show

[/div][div textcolor=white bgcolor=black width:100]The Crystallised Palace by ~MP3 Amplifier~ for Team Dark

Overall: 16.5/20, Review: show

Gameplay: 7.75/10

Wow. This was beautiful, but you didn't hold back on difficulty on this one, eh? It took me forever to finish any one of the challenges, and I never managed to finish them all in one run, but I've always said that I fully acknowledge that I am not a Platformer God.

In all honesty, some of the extra challenge came from simply how the SM63 engine is built. I got a few cheap deaths from the plus turnstile on the right of the last room, and I was slipping on things I'm pretty sure that you meant to not be slippery, just because I was close enough to the ice tiles (the pipe on the right side of the cannon room is a prime example of that). The fact that you cannot catch a slingstar while falling, or while flying, unless you hit EXACTLY the center, was a bit annoying as well. But, again, they are technically not your fault. Other than that, it was all doable, eventually (I thought that I'd never get that last Red Coin on the right of the cannon room).

All that being said, I think that the problems come from the mere lack of time, and simply might have benefited from more playtesting, as a number of those issues could have been found and mitigated.

Scenery: 4.75/5

That was interesting. It's a stunning level. It's the most varied tile use I've ever seen, and yet it works. I would say that Crystallised Shrine would be a better name, It felt a lot more like a public monument than someplace that people used for anything more mundane. (The term castle brings to mind someplace where people live and work, but maybe that's just me.) You certainly got the slightly run-down feel of the place perfect, from what you were saying in the signs, too. My only real gripe is that I'm not sure if all of that greenery was justified in a place that is supposedly freezing over.

Miscellaneous: 4/5

While I loved the text running throughout the level (bonus point and a half for that), I kept being pulled out of it by frustration over the difficulty level. I think it ended up being a little too jarring for my tastes. In something put together in a week, it is an excellent job, but I would like to see what it would be with a little more polish on it.

[/div][div textcolor=white bgcolor=#555 width:100]Tracking the 8 Red Coins by Goldy301

Overall: 7.5/20, Review: show

[/div][div textcolor=white bgcolor=#555 width:100]Port of Ice by FluorescenceLight

Overall: 13.5/20, Review: show

Gameplay: 7/10

So, there are several levels of how much you hold the hand of the player. There's levels where everything is totally spelled out with glowing flashing arrow and a ton of signs, there's levels that tell you everything important, and let you figure out the rest, there's levels that HINT at the important stuff, and let you do the majority of the work yourself, and then there's levels like this. Where everything's there, it works, there's logic if you can figure it out, but you get no hints, no direction, and you better be prepared for some serious trial and error. While I sometimes enjoy Zork level gameplay in my adventure games, I like a LITTLE more hand holding in my platformers. I gave you a couple bonus points for sheer ambition, and mostly pulling that off, but I did not really have a lot of fun with this one. Out of all the levels this contest, I've spent the most time on this one, staring at the layout in design mode, and I still haven't completely unravelled it. It looks good, has all kinds of cool ideas running around, makes you seriously search every nook and cranny, but it's just a bit too complicated for it's own good at the end of the day.

Scenery: 4.5/5

This was a beautiful level. Complex, and well decorated. There were a few places where the scenery was a bit distracting, but I never felt like I didn't understand what I was looking at (...aside from which door went where, and how I was supposed to progress. I knew I was looking at a door, I just didn't understand how it helped me in the logical flow of the level...). Clearly, there were a few spots where the size limits made something that felt like it should have had more room didn't (notably the rooftop and basement), but that isn't too much of a minus.

Miscellaneous: 2/5

Ah. Here's where that overall complexity bites you again. I didn't beat the level. I admit it. I've been wandering around for a week, and couldn't figure it out. That's technically a problem. You have a ton of potential, sir, but you need to get some signs in there.

[/div][div textcolor=white bgcolor=#555 width:100]Sidescroll Skyline by awesomeguy 99

Overall: 17/20, Review: show

Gameplay: 9/10

Now, THIS was a surprise. I hadn't heard of you before this contest, but I'll be watching from now on. This level was pure joy! Good music (and I rarely go the extra mile to listen to it while playing, but I made an exception for this), great gameplay, secrets, a 1-Up hunt, bottom-backtrack routes for those of us without Platforming God skills (a nice alternative to checkpoints), including really nice use of disabling, a fairly well done invisible saviour, and the only thing that takes away from this at all is that you just tried to do EVERYTHING in one level. There's an airship, floating water, floating landmasses, just about every enemy, just about every decoration. it feels a little fractured, in all honesty. My only other gripes is that if you have ways to catch people when they make mistakes throughout, why not on that first jump, especially since that is where the average player will feel their most timid. I'd say if you want to yank the safety net away, do it at the end, after they see the difficulty ramp up a bit, and it's reasonable to assume that the safety net might be gone.

Scenery: 4/5

This was a good looking level, with plenty of decorations, no transitions, and NOT a lot of lag for it. That's a REALLY tough balance to strike. Excellent Job. Again, only real points off here are for the fact that it got a little disorienting as you cycled through every Mario visual there is. Also, I know it's a niggly point, but that floating water could have been done a little better.

Miscellaneous: 4/5

This was another one of those levels with the slightly misleading name. I see "sidescrolling", and I think a very specific thing - forced scrolling. That was not a part of the level, but made me nervous wondering if it was going to suddenly show up and ramp up the difficult on me. Once I beat it the first time, and looked a the design mode, saw nothing, and really went for the exploration, was when I really started to have fun with it, but I would suggest taking that out of the name. Also, the jam-packed theme nature of this did take away a bit, though everything else about it was pretty spot on. I would have liked to have seen some of those extras (like the 1-Up hunt) test your abilities a bit further (like really nailing a perfectly placed triple jump, for example), but that's pure icing on an already delicious cake. Fantastic job, sir.

[/div][div textcolor=black bgcolor=#efbe00 width:100]Death's Castle by Jumbo101 for Team Super

Overall: 16.25/20, Review: show

Gameplay: 8.5/10

Now, this level had some really great ideas. The moment when I first saw the flame come out of the disabled Boo's mouth? Priceless. That was pure awesome, my friend. I also liked the very cinematic feel to the very beginning of the level, created with the simple effect of giving the starting position a touch of horizontal speed. A rarely used feature, used to great effect. Very nicely done. All that being said, the difficulty was a little jarring. The first couple of rooms were pretty easy, especially with the invisibility cap making you essentially invincible, and then the final room wallops you with a gigantic jump in difficulty. People expecting an easy level will give up on the end, and people expecting a difficult level will be bored before they get to the real challenge. This needs some smoothing out of the difficulty level ramp-up over the course of the level to truly qualify as a classic.

Again, the time limit rears its ugly head, but there were a number of things that could have been smoothed out with more time, like the platform leading to the final room. That vibration was a bit much. Also, that blue coin on the curved pipe caused a death for me, as I wondered if that was a clue that there was something further down. There wasn't. Not Nice.

Scenery: 4.25/5

Wow. Second level with a wildly varied tileset. Again, this didn't look bad, it's just not what I am used to seeing, although it was a little visually confusing in that first room. Also, good use of a custom font. Again, you got a great cinematic feel out of a number of choices you made. Also, I enjoyed you not only using moving blocks as part of the scenery, but actually having them moving. Also, good job on making that curved pipe look good. That takes skill. The only other problem I had was that, especially with the varied tileset, I wasn't sure what I could and couldn't walk on, a number of times. If you considered it part of the theme, then fine, but it did make for some very frustrating moments.

Miscellaneous: 3.5/5

This was a good level, and fun to play. It could have used a checkpoint, especially considering the difficulty of the final room (just a single checkpoint leading right there would have been perfect). It had a really great feel to it, so bonus point for that.

[/div][div textcolor=white bgcolor=#555 width:100]My Level by Bamsmarck

Overall: 1/20, Review: show

[/div][div textcolor=white bgcolor=#0182c4 width:100]Frozen Fantasy by Harmless for Team Magma

Overall: 16/20, Review: show

Gameplay: 8/10

What is it with the winter themes? Also, the SECOND person with speed applied to the starting position. I must be really out of touch with the scene if this has actually become common... This was a really nice wander level, with a loop-de-loop that didn't feel awkward, since you could come at everything from so many directions.

I would have also preferred that fireplace to be purely decorative. I got a nasty death from it on one of my playthroughs, bouncing off the top as I jumped past, and that felt pretty cheap. And I was milliseconds from saying that the pipe on the roof was screwed up, until I looked at it in the designer, and realized that you had simply said - "Chimney goes down to Fireplace", and left it at that. My Mario-mind did not come up with the same conclusion - to me, "Chimney goes to secret area", and I was confused. (Sitting here and staring at it, I could think of something really neat to do in that kind of a situation in LL, but that's not really relevant.)

I would think that some more could have been done with the FLUDD, but we're at the part of the conversation where the time limit becomes a factor, and clearly there are limits to everything. However, the level is quite technically comeplete, with no major glitches or flaws, and fairly well polished as it stands. My only gripe in that respect is the secondary shine, which I just. could. not. get.

Scenery: 4.5/5

This wasn't a really densely decorated level, but it still looked really nice (this is really the amount of decoration I prefer, but that's a purely personal feeling...). Good tilework, and a consistent sprinkling of items kept it from looking too barren. Some interesting stuff done with that cabin on the left, though it was a little glitchy at times. (But, in all truthfulness, I know darn well there was nothing you could do, as I've played extensively with disabled and weirdly positioned platforms, and realize that they're just glitchy in general... )

Miscellaneous: 3.5/5

You know what? There is that something-special, that this is somehow missing, and I'm not sure quite how, but It just didn't hit me. Maybe it was just a matter of not enough time, but you can feel that it's missing something. Otherwise, rather well done.

[/div][div textcolor=white bgcolor=#555 width:100]LEVEL 1-6 by npromin1

Overall: 14/20, Review: show

Gameplay: 7/10

I liked this. I am a fan of simple and fun levels, and this is a pretty good example of the genre. Normally, I would be saying that you could probably fit in more to the level vertically, but you eked out a lot of horizontal room by making this a mere 20 tiles tall. Meanwhile, there were a few nail-biting jumps, but not too heavy challenge, plenty of nice scenery, and only a handful of real hiccups in all of that: The first screen is pretty bland for no reason, the jump to the left under the ice shelf while heading for the invisibility cap is really badly constructed, this was badly in need of some transitions, and I managed to jump past the shine sprite in my haste at the end and fell down into an inescapable hole. The pacing on the whole thing could have used some tweaking too, as the heavy enemy presence never let you have much of a breather, and considering the easy-going nature of the rest of the level design, it didn't quite match up, and made it more frustrating than it needed to be.

I will say that it feels a little uninspired somehow, so there's a wow factor or fine polish that a keen player will notice is missing. This could be fine tuning in fixing those hiccups, or adjusting the pacing, or something else about how you design levels that you have yet to perfect. Ultimately, this is really just a matter of getting more experience in level design. You'll find your niche, and perfect your signature feel with time. Just keep at it. This certainly shows plenty of promise for your future career.

Scenery: 4/5

There were a number of really great spots that were just beautiful, and there were a few places where there was either nothing, or decorations that kinda were too much and got in the way of figuring out where to go. Your item usage is good, but you need to be a little more consistent with it, and figure out how to make sure that it isn't getting in the way of gameplay.

Miscellaneous: 3/5

Laggy as heck, and I have a good computer, this needed transitions desperately. And, in fact, when I put in a couple myself, it worked beautifully. Put at least one transition every 75 to 100 tiles, and you will have chunks of level that the computer will not choke on. I personally tend to put one every 25 tiles (or 50 tiles if I'm trying for something particularly large), and it allows for dense decorations without much lag, and also helps me regulate the rhythm of the level, as I design all my tasks to be in multiples of 25 tiles, and it gives you a feeling of confidence as you work your way through, like how having the height of every step on a staircase being the same allows you to feel confident about moving up or down it quickly.

Other than that, it was really well constructed, no cutoff, and items were all positioned nicely.

[/div][div textcolor=white bgcolor=#555 width:100]Atonement by Fire by Yoshi Boo 118

Overall: 17.5/20, Review: show

Gameplay: 8.5/10

Wow. This is another one that just screams epic. Also, nice pandering. Also, holy hell, that difficulty level. This level, on the whole, was probably juuuust that last bit too tough to be out of my reach, though that bloss was the first I've ever faced that I could beat consistently. Not easy, but not insanely hard either. Nice balance there. Otherwise, I figured out what to do, and could finish each separate challenge, just not all in a line. This level clearly, with only a couple of exceptions, correctly walked the line between "this is impossible because it's broken" and "this is impossible because I haven't figured it out yet". But enough about my lack of platforming prowess. Seriously, though. A point off for pandering (Can a level that preaches fairness and hard work, really expect to benefit from such crude methods? ), and a couple of hiccups that actually seemed broken, like getting to the upper-right after getting the wing cap (if that's what you're supposed to do - it was the only thing I could figure would do it).

Scenery: 5/5

This was a beautiful level, no question. Consistent, with a definite theme that was well represented, and well decorated without being confusing. Neat functional tricks with hiding the red coins in the torches. Neat visual tricks with items (those torches looked really good, for example).

Miscellaneous: 4/5

Overall, this was really well put together. Nice work with the Silver Star making the continue point work (standing in for the red coin collection), though I suppose that could have been more seamless, since you are zipping back and forth around the level, you see it, and wonder how to get there, and only find out when you screw up near the end that it's a crutch mechanic (this is a differentiation point between SM63 and LL, where you could have saved their progress in a variable, and not needed the alternate mechanic - and a more seamless way would have been dropping you past the star at the final destination instead of having a separate chamber just for the star, but it's a really minor point). Also, the Invincibility-past bumptie-to Invisible Saviour was very cool, although it took me quite a bit to get to that point, and it's frustrating to try without the invincibility, and see the bumpties move as you try to go down there, and it's a lot of tries before you realize there's no way to get them out of the way. That sling-shot to the upper right, too. just too brutal.

[/div][div textcolor=white bgcolor=#555 width:100]Mario’s Land by Danny

Overall: 12.5/20, Review: show

Gameplay: 7/10

This was a pretty fun level. I was distracted by a bit of beginner's mistakes, but it wasn't too bad, overall. I liked the fact that all the red coins were well hidden. I liked the window hidden-block maze (and you pulled it off without having to resort to disabled tiles, AND you gave fair warning). I LOVED the mountain river. The coins in the underwater maze were a tiny bit too numerous. I was able to do the whole thing without going below half-air. Maybe take out a fifth to a quarter of them, and you'll have the right mount of tension.

Scenery: 2.5/5

Ok, this was decently made, but I have a few suggestions. First off, in that first chamber, the castle backgrounds looked weird. I think the Castle Night Mosaic would have served you much better there, and is 4 tiles tall, or just going with 6 Castle if you want to save the mosaic for special occasions. Second, it adds a touch to the lag overhead, but not as much as you think, to fill up those empty spaces with whatever you are using for your walls. It's not necessarily realistic, but it is just part of the vocabulary of video games, that when we have a wall that we can't see through, it's just more wall as far as we can see. Being able to see the background will put off the majority of gamers, especially if they are experienced with other games. It's an industry standard kinda thing. Also, gardens tend to be outside, unless you put LOTS of windows and call it a greenhouse. Otherwise, this is fairly well decorated.

Miscellaneous: 3/5

This is a pretty good level for what is clearly one of your first levels. There's good ideas all over the place, and they're pulled off fairly well. No serious challenge, but getting challenge right is a hard thing to learn, and requires mastery of playing the game as much as mastery at designing for it. Several great designers in this contest failed at that very same task. I love mazes too, personally, and I have fallen in love with the cave tileset for making them, since there's so much freedom in ceilings and floors. Find something that calls to you, and make it your own, and perfect THAT. That's how you make a name for yourself and put that final oomph of "WOW" into your levels. Good luck in the future, and good job with this, really.

[/div][div textcolor=white bgcolor=#da0023 width:100]The Little Hero by SMIC for Red Team

Overall: 15.5/20, Review: show

Gameplay: 7/10

This level was beautiful, but frustrating. For me, there were a number of times, where I seriously doubted that it was my skill holding me back, and felt that it was just the level not being designed right. The timing on the rocks on the first screen never seemed to mesh right, and it took me forever to figure out that it required a dive to get flying in the right area, much less actually land the move. Also, I'm not sure I can ever finish the final race in time. I think the problem here was the size limit on the level, as some of these things feel like they would have worked just fine if they had more elbow room.

That being said, the exploration factor really kicked in, quite nicely. I did keep pressing forwards, because I wanted to see what ridiculous thing you would ask of me next. I also LOVED the story idea, though I would put an abbreviated intro sign in the beginning, just in case someone didn't read the text on the post.

Scenery: 4.5/5

Now, this is a detailed level. Almost too detailed. I had some lag, and there was a couple of times where the graphics seemed to get in the way of the gameplay. I was very frustrated by the dark section in the second screen, for example. I think this might have benefited from some of the better lighting options in LL, instead of trying to approximate it with the disabled transitions. (I've known about the trick for a while, but I've never seen it in action. The effect was kinda ruined for me when the only thing in darkness was Mario, and not any of the scenery, and then I just couldn't see where I was going.) There are a couple of pinch points as well, which always annoy the hell out of me, especially when they are bad enough to just trap you in the crushing animation until you're dead. It happened real bad after going down before the first bottomless pit (if you are fool enough to head left before heading out, plus it's hidden by vegetation), and there was a light one at the end of the darkened tunnel (only crushed me once, instead of guaranteed kill).

Miscellaneous: 4/5

I loved the story, and the level was beautiful. I loved exploring it, and that's a good thing. Some difficulty issues, but that seems to be the theme of the day.

[/div][div textcolor=white bgcolor=#009c3b width:100]Spirit of the Olympics by Vendai for the Crystal Clods

Overall: 17.5/20, Review: show

[/div][div textcolor=white bgcolor=#555 width:100]Snowcrash by Oranjui

Overall: 14.5/20, Review: show

[/div]

by **Vajrin** » December 5th, 2015, 4:42 am

That miscellaneous points. :facepalm:

But I'm still happy about the review.

by **Oranjui** » December 5th, 2015, 7:37 am

Holy ♥♥♥♥ I hadn't touched this game's designer in years and I was literally a sixth of a point from placing.

Also uh yeah my level was massively unfinished, Doram/whoever else mentioned that I should put more effort in. It was kind of a spur of the moment type of thing when the deadline was already close, and I think other events were imposing a lot of time restrictions on me too, but I don't remember. I appreciate the comments regardless, though. Anyway next time if I attempt something like this, I can't guarantee anything, but I'll try to give it my all :p

Side note, TIL I had 38.02 cumulative points before this

by **Supershroom** » December 5th, 2015, 7:41 am

Nice bud, nice to notice that people read my stuffs.

Also I seem to be incredibly cursed. 5th in the Art Contest, 5th in LL's contest, 5th in the most recent petanque tournament, and 5th now again.

Also Doram maybe sneak Nwolf's judgings on occasion?

by **MessengerOfDreams** » December 5th, 2015, 8:42 am

Super proud of the new medalists and especially the new winner! And I feel really bad about pummeling Peter, but yah, I stand by it. Sorry man. Gimme an hour or two to post my jidgings

Website · by **Yoshi Boo 118** » December 5th, 2015, 9:02 am

HOLY ♥♥♥♥

Man, if you had told me back when this contest had first started, how long it would have taken to get the results, I would have laughed and said you were lying.
If you had told me I was going to get 1st place, I would have laughed even harder.

My hands trembled for a second. I'm so happy that I got something that wasn't a ribbon- and gold, nonetheless. I couldn't have done it without Shroom and Harmless. I guess asking for feedback really does help a lot. Congratulations to everyone who participated, and I guess it's about time to put this forum to rest, isn't it?

(Also maybe now my ranking in the LD topic won't drop any further

)

by **MessengerOfDreams** » December 5th, 2015, 9:23 am

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EmY ... zyMpo/edit

Here you go. Apologies again to 1018peter for his low score, but congrats to YB for winning an LDC after 5.5 years of activity! <3

.Added for posterity by Doram (in case the thing disappears like so many other things we've linked...)

MoD wrote:Supershroom

Fun: 8/10. For the most part, especially outside, the platforming is super solid. I love the roundabout double-decker linear shape of it all. However, inside, you’ve again made a frustrating, convoluted platforming segment with bugs that take from the fun that I’ll detail in other. It takes away from the streamlined flow of the game and shows you’ve still got a ways to go.

Graphics: 4.5/5. It’s very well-constructed. I don’t ultimately care for the black background. It really doesn’t make the rest of the colors look that great at all. I also think that while it’s well-constructed the theme of the Merry-Go-Round doesn’t come across at all. It’s a series of stone temples that are nice looking but not extraordinary. Otherwise, well-decorated, and I like the color scheme without the black interfering.

Other: 2.25/5

Oh. Your favorite.

-.25: I don’t see how you get across the wheel that’s the final obstacle of the lower layer- it either throws you aside, smushes you, or gets you stuck. I see a green platform but it does nothing so I’m ultimately mildly ♥♥♥♥.

-.25: The spinning wheel that’s the first obstacle of the top layer will get you squished above the level itself, forcing a restart.

-.25: The pipe in the middle of the speedrun section is mondo distracting. You think you can go down it, you can’t, then you lose.

-.25: One of the wheels on the top layer towards the end can only be passed by cheaping out the bridge layers, which seems improper.

-.25: Some of the fire stand construction was unreal in how unfair it was and how you couldn’t make it through without getting hit. There’s difficult then there’s twirling an evil mustache.

+.5: Good side quest.

Overall: 14.75/20

It’s not your most standout work and it has bugs concentrated in one frustrating section.

1018peter

Fun: 2.5/10. Okay, speaking of fire, what in the HELL. Blind leaps into fire, tons of lag, bad timing, tons of bugs, needlessly difficult. This is just… bad. I hate to be harsh, but this is just really obnoxiously designed. I wanted to like this but it fell flat really quickly. It started off aggravating and didn’t provide any relief. And it’s ultimately really frustrating because I can see all you were going here but I’d be hard-pressed to find any part of it that worked.

Graphics: 4/5. Somewhat bland, but ultimately had a great color scheme and fitting construction. It all blended together a little too much but ultimately I liked what you were going for.

Other: .5/5

-.75 for leaping blindly into flames over and over and over that I couldn’t see without zooming out…

-.75 which made for more bone crushing lag that I really should have expected but was far from pleasant. If you’re doing a vertical level, you have to keep in mind lots of lag. Make it wide and add a couple of transitions, or be careful about what you put in.

-.25 because the bully often gets stuck above the fighting field because of its launch trajectory.

-.25 for frequently malfunctioning platforms you relied on to get ahead

-.5 for Poor construction that made it hard to tell which way to go at times.

Overall: 7/20

I really hate playing bad levels by good designers, but that’s what this was. Only 3 points allotted for the gameplay altogether out of 15 means this level was only saved by a construction design that wasn’t stunning in the first place. Definitely dissect this to see what went wrong so you can continue designing good levels in the future.

MP3 Amplifier

Fun: 7.25/10: Overall pleasantly designed- nothing extraordinary with basic gameplay, but very peaceful and a nice tribute that doesn’t feel like pandering. I do think there was a drop in quality in the cannon room, due to the aimlessness and frustration of it all, but the non-platforming qualities stand out and make it more than it could have been.

Graphics: 4.5/5: Some parts were quite underwhelming and empty-spaced, but overall I adored the construction, the concepts, and the decor. It really felt like a mystical place.

Other: 3.25/5

+.5 for a charming story
+.5 for excellent, mood-setting alt music.
-.75 because ironically the biggest hindrance for the cannon room was the wing cap, as well as the weird construction of everything else that made it a must that was impossible to use.

Overall: 15/20

Works better as a tribute than as a level but it’s a nice tribute

Goldy

Fun: 2/10

Did… did you forget… a few things? Like… lots of everything? I feel like much of the level was unintuitive with some parts that flat out fell flat. Bullet spam, untraversable platforms, poor spatial design- it plagues the level and doesn’t let go, and concepts I see the inklings of don’t carry over well at all. Unfinishable and uninteresting.

Graphics: 2/5

No coherent theme leading to jumbled design potpourri, blandness and cutoff, and transitions in design that make no sense.

Other: 2.25/5
+.25: Some mild amusement on the signs
-.1 for being unfinishable and poorly playtested- jumps were awkward and even to get as far as I did took some flat-out guesswork.

Overall: 6.25/20

It didn’t feel all that inspired, honestly. You do a lot of hard work in making levels, but you still have much to grow.

Harmless

Fun: 6/10

Yeah this is a rough draft. I think it’s kind of easy to tell that you weren’t able to put the effort into this that you wanted. Which is a shame because your signature style of level is really made for levels like this. Small, beautiful, pleasant little hub worlds with easy platforming and comforting music. Relaxing type collection levels. But ultimately this feels a little too rushed. I see the mechanics, it works like a level, and it plays pretty well with some of what made the Butterfly Hills of the world work. But here, work it does not. The concepts are basic, and the level itself doesn’t reach the potential it could have, even as a simple platformer.

Graphics: 2.5/5

I won’t lie, a lot of what made this level sort of dour is the extension of plains of snow with little shape, shrubbery, or construction. It took what felt like a first draft and made it feel like a last minute rush, or 90% complete feel like 45% complete. I like the cool stuff you were able to do- the trees, the spiral, the ice bridge- but being unfinished gives it a feeling of perfect mediocrity.

Other: 4/5
+.5 for good Kirby music
+.5 because at least you tried with the secrets and what have you- everything was well foreshadowed and coordinated.

Overall: 12.25/20

It’s clear to see what happened here. And it’s a shame.

------------------

Yoshi Boo 118

Fun: 8.5/10

I am very very impressed. With only 4k in tiles you’ve managed to pack a lot into a small package. Does all of it work? Not entirely. There’s some lag (in bizarre, abrupt strikes), some confusion in the execution of the multipath, and it can get a little too crowded and unintuitive because of how much you try and pack in. I’m also skeptical how much of the cheating storyline of the Runolympics was planned and how much felt forced by you- whether as a way to pander for points, or because you thought that had to be the theme. It could have been just as awesome without the theming which does basically nothing for me. However, as a level itself, I love the platforming, the myriad of clever twists, the honest-to-god effort, and the path itself once it becomes more clear. The torch twist is clever and actually impacts the gameplay in unique ways. The boss is great if not confusing. The way you used the stars didn’t feel like ♥♥♥♥. Overall, really impressive for a week and such limited space. Many people can’t accomplish physically in one level what you did here.

Also, ♥♥♥♥ you for making me give you a high score. This is like cheating against myself in the Runolympics.

Graphics: 4.5/5

It’s a little messy in that things don’t always feel connected and it’s hard to tell where to go because of the often haywire design choices, but on point it felt like a level with cohesive style, and I respect and admire that. I felt like you created an environment, not just a level, and it was a great one with a classic color scheme and sparse but effective decoration.

Other: 4.25/5

+.5 for some fantastic, dramatic music that felt both Olympian and fiery.
+.5 for a fantastic looking boss, even if it didn’t play exceptionally uniquely
+.25 for a great end scene that actually worked beautifully technically.

Overall: 17.25/20

This is the clear high standout. A respectable, commendable amount of effort went into this.

Danny

Fun: 4/10

I’ll be real and upfront and say this level had a lot of flaws to it, but vision definitely wasn’t one. Ultimately the level falls flat because the ideas you had ended up as things really basic and overly minimalist, too much to stand out. Mazes have been done before. Switches have been done before. Water mazes have been done before. Ultimately nothing really new was added to it, but I think the vision of what you tried to go for shows.

Graphics: 2/5

Ultimately the greatest flaw is blandness, especially in the water maze, but there were a lot of poor design choices to boot. The house is too small- you can see the outside of it way too easily. The space is there for you to fill up- that makes the level immersive. Just saying “this is a nice farm” with some assorted shrubbery doesn’t make it a farm. In the water maze, plants were thrown around with reckless abandon, often not sticking to anything. And in the mountain river, there’s too much cutoff and the repetition of one snow tile is too distracting. Yeah, it’s minutia, but if you signed up for a big vision you’ve got to get into the technical details. Ultimately, though, this isn’t a one because you show signs of capability more than most people of your experience. You show a passion to want to do things, and you also have some half-decent moments, the mountain river being one of them that almost felt immersive. Ultimately, you have way too much wrong going on, even if it’s clear you can make it right.

Other: 2/5

-1 for the pipe at the end making you restart when it’s already unclear where all the coins are, especially in the ill-conceived water maze where you can easily end up suffocating before even getting to the end. A tracker and better playtesting were needed.

Overall: 8/20

It’s honestly not good, but it shows promise. Learning is hard, especially with a system this intricate, but I have a feeling learning is exactly what you’ll be doing.

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SuperMIC

Fun: 8/10

This was fun mostly for the simplistic choices all executed pretty well. The caps, the silver star section, the race. Possibly three of the most classic SM63 level gimmicks, all given a proper showing. There were a lot of little ♥♥♥♥ moves that whittled it down from a 9 to an 8- invisible Goombas because of darkness, warps beneath squishy blocks, ♥♥♥♥ green platforms, “you only have ninety seconds after the five we wasted triggering the shine and the ten you wasted reading this sign” but ultimately it’s a fun romp. But yeah… again, the Runolympics part, it feels like some padding and pandering. Like, the story is cute, but it didn’t feel natural. And it’s a shame, because I feel like this level is a good tribute to designing at large. The varied tricks and ideas all feel natural but not derivative. The Runolympic part again just felt like an effort to slap an extra point or two onto the level, something I know way too much about.

Graphics: 4.75/5

A little overlayered? The brown tree vines don’t connect right? Yeah, it had its flaws, but for the most part it was a raucous success. Beautifully made, interestingly structured, and feeling distinctly you.

Other: 3.5/5

+.25 for the music, and it’d get more if not for the awkward as ♥♥♥♥ looping that always took me out of the immersion. Also what kind of name is Epic Battle Fantasy III? It sounds like a parody.
+.25 for a nice, well working worm thingamabob.

Overall: 16.25/20

I like how simple it is and how it’s executed really well, but it does have its little bugs and nuisances that keep me from diving in all the way.

awesomeguy

Fun: 7.75/10

While there was nothing super standout about it, as a platformer it has a surprisingly nice flow. There’s a lot of varied tasks that feel a little abrupt and messy, but ultimately it was so bizarre it ended up kind of fun. Even as weird and jarring as it can be I can tell this level was made by someone who enjoyed designing- something about the way you laid everything out, gleefully changed styles and did whatever you wanted made me enjoy this level as an oddball little platformer and not a pre-packaged level. So while not perfect, it earns my respect.

Graphics: 4.25/5

The change of style felt super abrupt at times and some of the item layering, especially in the death save, is godawful, but I think it was rather impeccably constructed. You tried for a lot, and there were more hits than misses. This grab bag of styles is off-putting yet enjoyable all at once.

Other: 4.25/5

+.5 for some truly fitting music.
+.25 for some nifty ideas executed well, like the trees. Seeing the goomba walk on a tree was pretty cool.
+.25 for the bonus challenge- could have been executed better in the last one but still fun
+.25 for the savior pit.

Overall: 16.25/20

I’m surprised at how much I love this interesting little ♥♥♥♥ of a level. It should have been bad but clearly you have the talent to make it good.

Bamsmarck

Okay, for real- I’m kind of over the generic joke level whose only joke is omfg how bad. Kevin mastered it, Kevin overdid it, Kevin ran it into the ground. It’s not funny unless you make it fresh and this is just Kevin lite. There are some funny quotes, sure, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen before and ultimately I don’t care.

npromin1

Fun: 6.25/10

There’s not much to separate this level from most other levels. I liked the star challenge, I liked the platforming. I liked it all pretty decent if not extremely. But ultimately in a competition this doesn’t have the standout playable quality to make it more than decent but easily forgettable.

Graphics: 4.75/5

In some areas it was too geometric- especially the beginning and the end- but honestly the structure of the canyons and inner hillsides are gorgeous. The effort is very clear and very commendable. I think the vision here is genuine and impressive.

Other: 3/5

+.5 for a well constructed layout and nicely covered paths
-.5 because apparently I need to introduce you to the transition, which cuts lag in half easily.

Overall: 14/20

It’s really clear that you have talent and are willing to put in the effort. I think now that you’ve done this well you should try new things, more challenging visions, and you’ll start building yourself among the best.

OJ

Fun: 7.5/10

You’ve always been on the top of my list of “sporadic designers I wish I could see more work from” and this is a reason why. Whether or not you succeed in a level and its vision, you bring new things to the table. Your designing is both entirely unique yet strangely unrefined. Nowhere is this more prevalent here… mostly because you rarely use SM63 but it also embodies what fascinates yet frustrates me about your levels.

I love the vertical level approach. I love the sparse story even if it didn’t carry out. I love the exploration and the feeling of claustrophobia. These are rarely elements touched on. These are strong, visionary design choices I love. Yet at the same time how cramped everything is both makes for new styles of gameplay and really frustrating styles of gameplay. An exploration level where you have to be a goddamn ♥♥♥♥ magician to backtrack if needed, a red coin level no less, with unclear paths and absolute confusion, no less. That meant as much as I conceptually loved it and even enjoyed a good chunk of the gameplay, there was no way this wasn’t gonna infuriate me. So I loved 75% of it and loathed 25% of it, which makes this score about accurate.

Graphics: 4.25/5

Again, I love the unique nature of it. It’s so crazy, lopsided, and some of the best cave and lava usages I’ve seen yet… but there’s often so much empty space due to the unfinished nature, and using lava tiles in midair will only be a nightmare due to the lack of bottoming tiles. Again, I love the claustrophobia of it all. It really does sort of unnerve me and I love levels that give me an emotional reaction just by the graphics. But ultimately it still has glaring flaws that hold it back.

Other: 3.5/5
-.25 was going to be a +.5 for the clever hiding location of the FLUDD… but let’s be real you needed that FLUDD in more ways than one just to function in the exploration parts of the level. It was often too shoddy to backtrack without it. Therefore the hiding location is just ♥♥♥♥. It looks like an oversight you would get stuck falling into, and hiding a vital object is just dickish in the first place.
+.5 for good alternate music that added to the claustrophobia and isolation of the level.
+.25 for the story, even as minimal as it is.

Overall: 15.25/20

I hope you keep designing and I hope you finish your visions. The rough drafts themselves are rather fascinating.

Venexis

Fun: 8.25/10

Another god-tier excellent bloss. You put a magnificent amount of effort into this, making what could have been a one-note fight or level into something magnificent. I also commend you at not making the Runolympics feel like a tack-on to get points and pussy. Still, I have to give this a “pretty-great-but-not-perfect” eight-and-a-quarter out of ten because, as impressive as it is, there are still some unrefined elements that make this a pain. At times the pacing gets slowed to a drag because of fire towers, all of which have little to no warning when trying to play. These fire towers ♥♥♥♥ are the bane of my existence. Usually a warning of where they are makes it easier but these will just ♥♥♥♥ with you cause lol. Still, this was a clever boss and idea that played to your strengths.

Graphics: 4.75/5

Outside of some layering defects and ♥♥♥♥ like that with the flame towers, the design was astronomically perfect. Great overgrown dark room and construction with beautiful bloss design.

Other: 3.25/5
+1 for the fantastic story. Especially coming from a scientist like you, a story about a perfect machine losing to the ingenuity and human flaws and strengths of our hero resonates very well. It gets a little hammy towards the end but still works.
-1 for holy ♥♥♥♥ that lag. THAT LAG. And the three warning loading time. It’s a 4k level. There is a lot of lag. You know you can still simulate vertical motion in this level, especially with this structure, without literally making everything in one room, right?
+.5 for solid solid music. More people should use TV/film scores.
-.25 because starting the character next to moving blocks will always make the loading time way way worse.

Overall: 16.25/20

Some obvious flaws keep it from a damn near impeccable score.

FluorescenceLight

Fun: 8.25/10

It’s clear you have vision and unique ideas, and I really like them. The flaw to this level is the confusing layout with improper indication of how to do what- you can get lost and confused way too easy. But on the other hand, I really do like this method of exploration. I think it shows you put a lot of thought into the details of the level. And overall, this was reflected in how fun it was to play.

Graphics: 4.5/5

Sometimes too geometric, but almost always a style growing more iconic with every passing day. I love the design choices you made and the structures in particular.

Other: 3/5
-.5 for pretty bad lag and loading time- too much stuff, not enough transitions.
+.25 for decent music
+.25 for the clever courtesy of giving a brief invincible star beneath the surface of the ship to account for the otherwise would-be unfair nature of the goombas.

Overall: 15.75/20

Not perfect but shows you’re heading on a great path.

Overall:

Yoshi Boo 118
Venexis, awesomeguy, SuperMIC
FluorescenceLight
OJ
MP3 Amplifier
SuperMIC
npromin
Harmless
Danny
1018peter
Goldy

Website · by **Yoshi Boo 118** » December 5th, 2015, 9:41 am

As an aside, I should mention what some of the judges talked about with what I guess was considered me trying to pander. When the contest first came out, I just assumed that everyone was going to make a level using the Runolympics as a theme. But then after a bit of time I realized that that wasn't required, but I had already done a little bit of progress, so I just decided to leave it like it was. I did want to stick to the theme though, half because I just thought it made sense, and half because I couldn't really think of another theme to use. And anyone who's judged a few of my levels knows that I pretty much always like to have some story in there regardless of how much an Excuse Plot it is.

Could I have easily swapped the theme for something else? Yeah. Did the level seem like I was pandering? Sure, perhaps a bit. I guess I just want to say that I wanted to pay homage to this whole forum, and as an afterthought I should have considered that, compared to what everyone else was doing, it appeared I was going out of my way to get ahead of the others using cheap tactics. So, I apologize for that. Just know it wasn't my intentions.

Idk if I'm just making a bigger deal out of this than it really is (probably) but I just wanted to get this out there.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and I guess if this is a big deal, then I'm especially glad SMIC was the tribute for our team. I would've felt pretty bad otherwise.

by **MessengerOfDreams** » December 5th, 2015, 9:44 am

This post by MessengerOfDreams was thumbed up by:: Yoshi Boo 118 (December 5th, 2015, 9:55 am)

EVENT 3: Super Mario 63 Level Designing Contest

Re: EVENT 3: Super Mario 63 Level Designing Contest

Re: EVENT 3: Super Mario 63 Level Designing Contest

Re: EVENT 3: Super Mario 63 Level Designing Contest

Re: EVENT 3: Super Mario 63 Level Designing Contest

Re: EVENT 3: Super Mario 63 Level Designing Contest

Re: EVENT 3: Super Mario 63 Level Designing Contest

Re: EVENT 3: Super Mario 63 Level Designing Contest

Re: EVENT 3: Super Mario 63 Level Designing Contest

Re: EVENT 3: Super Mario 63 Level Designing Contest

Re: EVENT 3: Super Mario 63 Level Designing Contest

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