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1 user currently in Super Mario World hacking:  labmaster |
| Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - Super Mario World hacking - Level design tips |
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asdf Cukeman Level: 28 Posts: 41/303 EXP: 128796 For next: 2542 Since: 03-16-04 Since last post: 5 hours Last activity: 54 min. |
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| Well, since no one is giving any guidelines on how to do so, might as well start. Tell them what you want, and give them tips on how to design their levels so they don't look like crap. 1) Stating the obvious first, make all objects touch the ground completely UNLESS it is intended to be floating. 2) Don't have palletes with too many colors. Also, avoid having a mix of bright and dark colors. 3) Don't make your levels too hard. If you can get through the level no sweat without savestating, it should be fine. 4) Avoid having to solve frustratingly hard puzzles in order to advance in the game. It's annoying to get to the fifth world only to have to stop due to a puzzle so hard to do. 5) One thing I like to do is have themed levels. These are a change of pace from normal levels due to an intentional quirk in it's design. For example, you could change the cloud to a submarine or plane an use it in an autoscroll level. 6) Be original. Avoid having the same old, commonly used types of worlds, and try something different (avoid ripping off others as well). Crystal Cave worlds seems to have skyrocketed in popularity since DW:TLC was released. Coincidence? I think not! Try something else, like Crystal Mountain, Sunken City or The Pirate Ship. |
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Sendy Shyguy Level: 17 Posts: 20/93 EXP: 21726 For next: 3017 Since: 03-25-04 From: South of UK Since last post: 55 days Last activity: 53 days |
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| Yes themes is good. Give levels a 'device' on which they play, such as a maze, puzzles, a certain type of custom block used in a series of intriguing ways, a long action level, whatever. Have a bit of symmetry to your level, like a song, an ABA structure is good, like A could be outdoors and fairly easy, and B could be a tricky cave with a time-sensetive puzzle or something. Don't be afraid of copying parts of the level and changing them significantly. Having a repeating structure is another way to give your level consistancy. Oh listen to me. I am clearly having withdrawal from SMW designing!! |
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Smallhacker Green Birdo SMW Hacking Moderator Level: 68  Posts: 150/2273 EXP: 2647223 For next: 81577 Since: 03-15-04 From: Söderhamn, Sweden Since last post: 10 hours Last activity: 9 hours |
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| Something I just came up with: IF you have to use levels that's almost impossible to beat, make an alternitive path (on the previous level, normal and secret goals are next to each other. (Like two pipes. "Choose a path!") so the player can play an easier level instead. | |||
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Sendy Shyguy Level: 17 Posts: 21/93 EXP: 21726 For next: 3017 Since: 03-25-04 From: South of UK Since last post: 55 days Last activity: 53 days |
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| Yeah, what Smallhacker said is pretty essential, otherwise 70% of people who can't do that level are basically fucked and will stop playing your hack. It's not about challenging the player, it's about offering a challenge to them, without forcing it upon them. Expanding on the idea, if you have a tricky jump or something in a level. DON'T PUT A HOLE OR DEATH UNDER IT! Make it so you either land on pirhana plants, or get set back a little way or inconvenienced in some other way. It's more fun to almost die than it is to die. Also, give enough time on your levels for this kind of mistake to be made. |
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cpubasic13 17 years old now. Time to buy some M rated games by myself! Level: 54  Posts: 275/1346 EXP: 1206934 For next: 26936 Since: 03-15-04 From: Blame my parents, Eddy Since last post: 2 days Last activity: 1 day |
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| Here is one. If you are going to use ripped graphics, please don't overuse them. I hate to see fifty levels being the same game graphics. Maybe a few levels, but not a whole lot of levels. Progress your hack in difficulty. Start out with the easy levels then move on to harder levels. Let your hardest levels be in the Special World unless you are making it mandatory to go there. |
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Juggling Joker Boomerang Brother SMW Hacking Moderator Yeah, JAMH is still being worked on. Level: 48 Posts: 125/1033 EXP: 811447 For next: 12096 Since: 03-15-04 From: Wyoming Since last post: 2 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Consistency, consistency, consistency. Everything, such as level design, graphics, and so on, should fit together. | |||
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Fyxe Lyn Level: 51 Posts: 128/1160 EXP: 954265 For next: 59673 Since: 03-29-04 Since last post: 117 days Last activity: 114 days |
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| Here's a few of my own tips, please use them, aspiring level designers... 1: Use enemies. There there for a reason. Levels that are just difficult jumps are BORING. We wanna squish baddies. And don't forget to use the rarer enemies, like Pokeys and Dino Rhinos. You'd be surprised what you could do with a Pokey. ...That sounded weird. 2: Don't stick Prize Blocks with one coin in them ON THEIR OWN. That is freakin' annoying. You stick them in long rows maybe with a powerup hidden in one of the blocks, but DON'T stick them on their own. No. Just, no. Why not just use a coin? Why tempt us with a block when all it has in it is one measly coin? Oh, sure, tempt us with it if you want to trick the player, but don't use them regularly. And only perform that stunt once. It's annoying and not as clever as it seems... EDIT: I forgot. Similarly, don't stick Rotating Blocks with powerups in them on their own. Why? Why not just use a Prize Block? If you stick a Rotating Block on it's own, people WILL hit it. So just use a Prize Block and stick to using Rotating Blocks where they're meant to (or have to, in the case of blocks with vines in them) be used. 3: BLARGG EVIL PALLETTES. NO. Do not use ugly pallettes. Do NOT. Put a screenshot of your hack against a screenshot from a NES game and if you see any similarity, you have made a big mistake. Unless of course that's what you're going for. But seriously, if you people are just going to use nasty pallettes... THEN DON'T CHANGE THEM. The basic pallettes are NICE. That's why Nintendo chose them. Don't use the wrong pallette with the wrong tileset, though. Nasty mismatched green Ghost Houses? No thanks. 4: Savestates bad. Baaaad. 5: Do not worry too much about infinite 1-Up tricks. Waste of time worrying about that. If your hack is so hard that you need to go back to previous levels to build up your 1-Ups because you can't find a place to save your game until you beat this damned castle... It's too hard. Just try and avoid having infinite 1-Up tricks before the first Ghost House, if you must. 6: Make sure the player can't fly over the wall at the edge of the level and then fall through the land to his death. 7: Use correct grammar and spelling in Message Boxes. And try not to use Message Boxes to narrate, if you can avoid it. That's just a tad weird... Hitting a box to hear what Mario is saying/thinking. By all means leave messages from other characters in them though. 8: If you're going to rip graphics, at least do it right. Get the tiles in the right places and the pallettes correct. (edited by Fyxe on 05-04-04 06:38 PM) |
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Alastor the Stylish Hey! I made a cool game! It's called "I poisoned half the food, so if you eat you might die!" Have a taco.  Level: 114  Posts: 648/7620 EXP: 16258468 For next: 51099 Since: 03-15-04 From: Oregon, US Since last post: 2 hours Last activity: 2 hours |
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Originally posted by asdf 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. |
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Chickenlump Level: 41  Posts: 193/722 EXP: 474192 For next: 5953 Since: 03-15-04 From: Columbia City Indiana Since last post: 3 hours Last activity: 4 min. |
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| 1. Pipes that lead to lava or spike only filled pits ARE funny. Use them. 2. Optional levels (that don't look optional) that have no exits ARE funny and creative. 3. Everything should be in Leet. Event the title screen. |
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Surlent サーレント Level: 49  Posts: 248/1077 EXP: 863920 For next: 19963 Since: 03-15-04 From: Tower of Lezard Valeth Since last post: 16 hours Last activity: 1 hour |
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Originally posted by Chickenlump I don'T think that post is sarcastic. These are indeed very helpful hints  My tips goes as follows: Remember, the last line is invisible, so don't annoy the player with "invisible" ledges on some places and holes on other places  Exceptions would be additional/hidden levels with hints and NO blind guesses (!)  Try to invent something new in every level; the way DKC2 was set up I liked. Like a level introduces a new custom block, while the level is used to "train" the usage of it in more and more difficult combinations. The same should go with enemies; in the harder parts you actually begin to combine them, so the game never will be boring; thus challenging and expecting something new in every level  |
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Sendy Shyguy Level: 17 Posts: 23/93 EXP: 21726 For next: 3017 Since: 03-25-04 From: South of UK Since last post: 55 days Last activity: 53 days |
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| 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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Kefka Indefinitely Unbanned Level: 81 Posts: 1329/3392 EXP: 4826208 For next: 166641 Since: 03-15-04 From: Pomona, CALIFORNIA BABY! Since last post: 4 hours Last activity: 4 hours |
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Originally posted by Sendy |
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Juggling Joker Boomerang Brother SMW Hacking Moderator Yeah, JAMH is still being worked on. Level: 48 Posts: 126/1033 EXP: 811447 For next: 12096 Since: 03-15-04 From: Wyoming Since last post: 2 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| 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. | |||
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Fyxe Lyn Level: 51 Posts: 131/1160 EXP: 954265 For next: 59673 Since: 03-29-04 Since last post: 117 days Last activity: 114 days |
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| 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. |
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Kefka Indefinitely Unbanned Level: 81 Posts: 1330/3392 EXP: 4826208 For next: 166641 Since: 03-15-04 From: Pomona, CALIFORNIA BABY! Since last post: 4 hours Last activity: 4 hours |
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Originally posted by Fyxe 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? |
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Golden Yoshi Pokey Level: 41  Posts: 62/693 EXP: 445575 For next: 34570 Since: 03-15-04 From: Edison, NJ Since last post: 17 hours Last activity: 8 hours |
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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? |
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Alastor the Stylish Hey! I made a cool game! It's called "I poisoned half the food, so if you eat you might die!" Have a taco. Level: 114 Posts: 650/7620 EXP: 16258468 For next: 51099 Since: 03-15-04 From: Oregon, US Since last post: 2 hours Last activity: 2 hours |
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Originally posted by Golden Yoshi Nope. Personally, I try to have dragon coins in about two thirds of all levels. |
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Sendy Shyguy Level: 17 Posts: 25/93 EXP: 21726 For next: 3017 Since: 03-25-04 From: South of UK Since last post: 55 days Last activity: 53 days |
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| 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... | |||
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Fyxe Lyn Level: 51 Posts: 132/1160 EXP: 954265 For next: 59673 Since: 03-29-04 Since last post: 117 days Last activity: 114 days |
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| 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. (edited by Fyxe on 05-05-04 01:08 PM) |
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Juggling Joker Boomerang Brother SMW Hacking Moderator Yeah, JAMH is still being worked on. Level: 48 Posts: 127/1033 EXP: 811447 For next: 12096 Since: 03-15-04 From: Wyoming Since last post: 2 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| 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. |
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| Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - Super Mario World hacking - Level design tips |
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