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cpubasic13
Posts: 278/1346 |
Another tip:
If you are going to add handmade water, make it animated unless you have some REALLY good reason.
Nobody likes a hidden exit. Don't make an exit that looks like the ground unless there is some sort of hint or if it is a secret exit.
Try making your own animated graphics. It makes your hack stand out. I usually remember hacks that feature handmade animations.
If you are going to use the original graphics, use them in the proper way. They can be easily annoying if not used correctly.
Test, test, test! If you have a big idea and start to work on it, work in small changes so you know if it will work at that section. Then build on to it. |
Mal'caor
Posts: 2/17 |
I tend to just collect the ones that I can quickly decide how to collect, if you understand me. The only things I REALLY go out of my way for are secret paths 
I agree that hard is not necassarily fun. If I start playing a hack where I have to sacrifice lives just to learn the wrong route and remember where that was, I'll stop playing it immediately. That just wastes time.
I think a good thing to do is lure the player into a sense of familiarity. Give them three long, straight runs with exactly the same jump at the end each time, and on the fourth time, make it a small jump followed by another small jump, so they end up jumping too far, unless they react quickly! Then, their survival depends on skill, instead of luck, or having learnt the stage! |
Ailure
Posts: 1422/11162 |
Originally posted by hhallahh
Does anyone actually collect dragon coins? I don't. If a hack were just to not have them, I would never know the better. I'd say the same for coins in general, but that would be a lot more glaring in its impact.
I collect them. But just for the heck of it.
Sometimes I just must collect everything in games. That I won't even finish the game before I found that last heart piece/dragon coin/thing.  |
Fyxe
Posts: 133/1160 |
Originally posted by hhallahh
Does anyone actually collect dragon coins? I don't. If a hack were just to not have them, I would never know the better. I'd say the same for coins in general, but that would be a lot more glaring in its impact.
Uh, most players collect stuff. Otherwise we'd just be running from left to right jumping occasionally.
I'm sure most players grab coins and hit blocks and generally bash baddies and such. |
Alastor the Stylish
Posts: 655/7620 |
Originally posted by asdf
That's only because you, the maker of the hack, know how the level goes. Others will not know all the tricks. And no one likes to have annoying level after annoying level.
Now you're just assuming stuff, I never said it had to involve tricky jumps or secret paths, just that if it's a breeze to play through it's just not fun.
Originally posted by Banzai_Bill
Dont jam pack levels full of sprites. If you do, sprites will disappear, and sometimes freeze the game. Also, try not to place a load of sprites all stuffed in one screen at once, otherwise the game will go slow
No shit, sherlock  Anyone who doesn't know that will invariably ignore this thread anyway. |
Rain Man
Posts: 8/378 |
Dont jam pack levels full of sprites. If you do, sprites will disappear, and sometimes freeze the game. Also, try not to place a load of sprites all stuffed in one screen at once, otherwise the game will go slow |
Felix
Posts: 217/422 |
I have only one tip to offer.
HARD DOES NOT EQUAL FUN. If you're ever at a croassroads, and have to sacrifice one for the other, sacrifice difficulty in the name of enjoyment. |
hhallahh
Posts: 202/607 |
Does anyone actually collect dragon coins? I don't. If a hack were just to not have them, I would never know the better. I'd say the same for coins in general, but that would be a lot more glaring in its impact. |
asdf
Posts: 42/303 |
Originally posted by Kyouji "Kagami" Craw
Originally posted by asdf
3) Don't make your levels too hard. If you can get through the level no sweat without savestating, it should be fine.
Wrong. If you can get through a level no sweat without savestating, it's waaay too easy. If you can get through a level with a lot of careful effort but without it requiring savestates. A level must be taxing, but ridiculously so.
That's only because you, the maker of the hack, know how the level goes. Others will not know all the tricks. And no one likes to have annoying level after annoying level. |
Juggling Joker
Posts: 128/1033 |
Yeah, use the graphics I submitted. I'm still waiting to see them in a hack, but who knows if I ever will. |
knuck
Posts: 265/1818 |
Try to make your own GFX before go OMG EXGFX WORKSHOP. It's not that hard and ExGFX Workshop is getting overused. If you are going to use it, at least use it right...  |
Juggling Joker
Posts: 127/1033 |
I stuck a lot of opportunities in my hack for extra lives, such as Dragon Coins and almost an obscene amount of coins. I don't think there are any places where you can trap a turtle shell for infinite lives, but I could be mistaken. |
Fyxe
Posts: 132/1160 |
People worry too much about there being too many 1-Up opportunities. Dragon Coins shouldn't be something you should worry about, hell, stick five Dragon Coins in every level if you can. Make it interesting to try and collect them all. Of course, you don't have to stick them in castles, as they're very rarely in those levels on the original game... But yeah, Dragon Coins rule.
1-Ups are fun to get. Honestly, people *really* worry too much about there being too many lives... Just have as many lives as there is in the original SMW, give or take some depending on your level design and all. |
Sendy
Posts: 25/93 |
True about the 'cheese' levels being fun, which leads to my next tip: USE LAYER 2 MORE! It is cool. There are sprites to make layer 2 sink, rise up and wobble up and down. Lots of uses for these things... |
Alastor the Stylish
Posts: 650/7620 |
Originally posted by Golden Yoshi
Also, I have a question. How many 1up opportunities do you think there should be in 1 level? I usually have the dragon coin opportunity, plus an opportunity to gain a 1up in some other manner. Do you think this is too much?
Nope. Personally, I try to have dragon coins in about two thirds of all levels. |
Golden Yoshi
Posts: 62/693 |
1) Make replayable levels. Make levels that have plenty of secret bonus rooms, secret exits, alternate paths, etc. This can make the player curious to see what is in the entire level. Try even putting more secret rooms that are accessed by secret rooms. I am doing this in my hack, I'm really putting a lot of effort into the design of each level. Straightforward levels can be too redundant and boring, so try your best in designing the paths and stuff for your levels.
2) Do not make places where you will ge trapped, and there are no means of dying until time runs out.
3) Do not make areas where you are required to be Super Mario, Fire Mario or Cape Mario in order to pass the level or move on, especially if the level is pretty tough. It's okay to make these if you use them to access bonus areas.
Also, I have a question. How many 1up opportunities do you think there should be in 1 level? I usually have the dragon coin opportunity, plus an opportunity to gain a 1up in some other manner. Do you think this is too much? |
Kefka
Posts: 1330/3392 |
Originally posted by Fyxe
Exactly what JJ said. It's not memory, you can see far enough ahead to figure out what to do. Memory tests are not fun. You should not have to learn a level before you can complete it.
By the way, I'm pretty darn sure it's sandstone (well, it's rock of some kind), not cheese.
Well, its yellow. So I call it cheese. Well, I think that levels like that "cheese" one are fun.  People should make more levels like that instead of blind mazes...  Yes I changed my mind... so what? |
Fyxe
Posts: 131/1160 |
Exactly what JJ said. It's not memory, you can see far enough ahead to figure out what to do. Memory tests are not fun. You should not have to learn a level before you can complete it.
By the way, I'm pretty darn sure it's sandstone (well, it's rock of some kind), not cheese. |
Juggling Joker
Posts: 126/1033 |
The problem with that reasoning is that you can easily determine what part of the "cheese" you need to go in before you die a couple times figuring it out. The same is not true for blind mazes. |
Kefka
Posts: 1329/3392 |
Originally posted by Sendy
Scrolling mazes that squash you because you 'were stupid and went the wrong way' are highly annoying. Same thing with platform roads which dump you if you don't hit the right swtiches. If I wanted a memory test, I'd play that game with the objects on the table when someone takes one away and you have to guess what it is
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labmaster
