Register | Login
Views: 19364387
Main | Memberlist | Active users | ACS | Commons | Calendar | Online users
Ranks | FAQ | Color Chart | Photo album | IRC Chat
11-02-05 12:59 PM
1 user currently in Super Mario World hacking: labmaster | 3 guests
Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - Super Mario World hacking - Useful hints for SMW hackers. | |
Pages: 1 2 3 4Add to favorites | "RSS" Feed | Next newer thread | Next older thread
User Post
Darkmatt

Red Cheep-cheep
Level: 24

Posts: 172/212
EXP: 75447
For next: 2678

Since: 03-15-04
From: Clarkston, WA

Since last post: 9 days
Last activity: 10 hours
Posted on 01-29-05 10:47 AM Link | Quote
Try using a Banzai Bill and those number platforms and see what I mean.

Try drawing a bunch of lines? ....what?

Sigh, I should probably download YYCHR and try to make a background. Because I'm so bored.

107. It's...not a good idea to release hacks on Windows 95....where you can't have Mozilla Firefox. ( No seriously, this happened to me. Read site news. )

108. Detail in Background, plain Foreground, they DON'T mix together.

109. I, have never tried hacking Overworld tiles. Pity me. But, for you, if you can, use the Overworld tiles you AREN'T going to use.

110. Doing 8, 9, and 10 signs AREN'T hard. It's in fact very simple.

111. Great ExGFX takes MORE then 2 hours. Look at Luigi's Adventure and tell me the graphics used for some of the levels in the last world and tell me those graphics took less then 2 hours!

112. Too lazy to make ExGFX files, use the diagnol (Spelt right?) pipe tiles! If I search all the good hacks, it's the LEAST used part in ALL OF THEM!

113. There are 2 choices on how to release your hack. You are free to choose any way you like.

SECRET UNTIL FINISHED

PROS: A full game to play at the end. And no need to take screenshots, you choose!
CONS: The only people that's going to help you on your hack are beta testers, if you included any.

NOTES: You might wanna release SOME screenshots. In fact you need too, otherwise it might lead to bad popularity.

DEMOS ALONG THE WAY

PROS: All the suggestions you can have, and you can better fine-tune your levels thanks to players.
CONS: Screenshots for every demo, which you CAN'T avoid unless you want to get little downloads. And the demos have to be worth it, otherwise bad reviews. Which will equal bad popularity.

NOTES: DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT RELEASE ALOT OF DEMOS! Why? The last demo won't be worth it if you just release the final demo that's just missing the last world.

Long suggestion ain't it?
Sukasa

Boomboom
Error 349857348734534: The system experienced an error.
Level: 57

Posts: 39/1981
EXP: 1446921
For next: 39007

Since: 02-06-05
From: *Shrug*

Since last post: 6 days
Last activity: 1 day
Posted on 02-10-05 03:57 AM Link | Quote
Hey!

114. Don't overrate your hacks. People may believe future hacks will not live up to expectations either.


About demos...

You don't always need to release a TON of screenshots. I gave only one for my first hack and it seemed to take off okay (I.E. lots of requests).

115. HAVE A GOOD TITLE!!!! There are too many hacks (like mine) that used the outdated "SMW x: xxxxxxx" format. IT IS OVERUSED!!!!!!
HyperLamer
<||bass> and this was the soloution i thought of that was guarinteed to piss off the greatest amount of people

Sesshomaru
Tamaranian

Level: 118

Posts: 3421/8210
EXP: 18171887
For next: 211027

Since: 03-15-04
From: Canada, w00t!
LOL FAD

Since last post: 2 hours
Last activity: 2 hours
Posted on 02-23-05 07:41 AM Link | Quote
I'm surprised nobody mentioned these...

116: Don't use bitmaps for screenshots! PNG is recommended.
117: How to make a link: <a href="[URL HERE]">[TEXT HERE]</a>


(edited by HyperHacker on 02-22-05 10:42 PM)
Sketchie

Mole
Level: 28

Posts: 26/356
EXP: 118351
For next: 12987

Since: 12-27-04

Since last post: 7 days
Last activity: 10 hours
Posted on 02-27-05 10:45 PM Link | Quote
118. Having a creative title for your hack will help you get more people interested in trying your hack. "Super Mario World X: XXXXX" like what Darkflight mentioned above is extremely overused, and it's just reached to the point where it's just boring and annoying.

Tips for making a good title:

a. What is the story?
b. Where will Mario/Luigi (or whatever the main character will be) usually be in?
c. What would the worlds look like? Levels? What's the point of the world(s)? (This may sound silly, but this actually helps you think of a title...)

For instance, let's say that I want to make a hack, and the story would be something like this: "Bowser has failed to take over the world/Peach in the future and the past. So instead he decides to do something extremely darastic: kidnap Peach and escape into TIME."

That would mean that Mario would require a lot of time traveling. The first world would be in the present, and the next world would be about 2 hours in the future, since Bowser has escaped 2 hours in the future with a device. Upon finishing the castle where Bowser has escaped to, Bowser has teleported yet AGAIN, going back into the past, blah blah blah. (I know it sounds stupid, but I'm trying to make an example...) So Mario goes into a time machine to warp to whenever Bowser has gone to.

So, according to what I've thought of, the apporitate title for this hack would NOT be "Super Mario World X: Time Craziness", but more like "Surge of Time" or even "Change of Time".

I hope this helps some...
Darkmatt

Red Cheep-cheep
Level: 24

Posts: 179/212
EXP: 75447
For next: 2678

Since: 03-15-04
From: Clarkston, WA

Since last post: 9 days
Last activity: 10 hours
Posted on 03-07-05 04:49 AM Link | Quote
NOTE. If you'd like to add on to somebody elses review, PLEASE INCLUDE THE NUMBER. ( Posted guidelines at the beginning. It had to happen. )

*Eyeballs #118*

I'd like to go with Hint #119 for the block please.

119. Like I said about the demo releases, it's completely your choice to include a background story to your hack or not.

Pretty much put.

Good Background Story = YES!
No Real Story = OKAY!
Bad Background Story = NO!

120. THEME YOUR WORLDS. For instance, if your 4th world is a Sky World, create Sky-themed levels if you can. There are some exceptions, I.E. A secret level in the world,
but still, many, many people adds a theme to every world. ( Anitiki, FuSoYa, Sendy, need I go on? ) And so should you.

121. Okay, World help time! Trouble thinking how your levels should be arranged in a
world? There are 3 ways.

STRAIGHT-THROUGH

PROS- Longer "forced" playing time
CONS- Little to none secrets, no real idea to the order equals laziness.

NOTES: Please include a Switch Palace, Star Road, SOMETHING! Because if somebody completes a world with no secrets, it's play value drops dramatically. No no.

MULTI-ROUTE

PROS- Which way? Which way? Easy or Hard?
CONS- Balancing the difficulty of both paths JUST right is a bit difficult.

NOTES: Demo World, Worlds 2, 4, 5, 6, 7. Very good examples of balanced difficulties.
If you don't want somebody to cheat through levels without any strain, follow these easy
steps.

-Make the secret HARD TO FIND. Cheating isn't supposed to be easy.
-Include a Switch Palace or Star Road along the harder path, and of course, make it hard to find.
-If you're making Feather's hard to find, it's ideal to hide one along the harder path.

"FOREST OF ILLUSION"

PROS- A more crazier version of MULTI-ROUTE, play Anitiki's hacks to see my point.
CONS- What's the best place to hide the exit?!? Hard question.

NOTES: If you make the exit too easy, the world's finished fast. If you make it too hard, it's a very tedious world and is also very annoying. Perfection is the key.

122. Feathers, it's easy to cheat an open level when you have a Feather. So you got to
be wise on how you place Feathers. VERY WISE. If you can't perfect the skill, just don't include Feathers, your choice.

Long.
HyperLamer
<||bass> and this was the soloution i thought of that was guarinteed to piss off the greatest amount of people

Sesshomaru
Tamaranian

Level: 118

Posts: 3575/8210
EXP: 18171887
For next: 211027

Since: 03-15-04
From: Canada, w00t!
LOL FAD

Since last post: 2 hours
Last activity: 2 hours
Posted on 03-07-05 10:53 AM Link | Quote
On #122, it's generally rather boring if you leave out feathers and/or Yoshi entirely. A few well-placed blocks in the sky (look at some levels in the Special world for examples) will thwart people who try to fly through it all.

And in #121, linear-ness is alright but try to avoid having a lot of it. Games are a lot more fun when they're non-linear to some degree. Super Mario 64 is a good example of this; you need to beat a few levels before you can go to levels 6-9 and a few more for 10-15, but among the levels you have access to, you can do pretty much whatever you want in any order. This is especially nice if one part is really hard or long and you don't feel like doing it right away. (For example, I often play Gameboy/DS games on the can, and I'd prefer not to start a really long level when I'm almost done. It's nice to be able to just go play a shorter one instead.)
Darkmatt

Red Cheep-cheep
Level: 24

Posts: 180/212
EXP: 75447
For next: 2678

Since: 03-15-04
From: Clarkston, WA

Since last post: 9 days
Last activity: 10 hours
Posted on 03-09-05 09:28 AM Link | Quote
That's exactly what I was thinking when I was typing it.

I don't have the faintest idea why I didn't correct it.

123. If you haven't works on your hack for over years, it can pretty likely be called dead.
PumpkinPie
Boo! I'll scare your dad!

Big Boo
Pretend Moderator

All hail the Pumpkin King!
Level: 47

Posts: 77/1158
EXP: 718208
For next: 47995

Since: 12-05-04
From: Halloween Town
Treats: Many
Tricks: Oh yes

Since last post: 2 days
Last activity: 8 hours
Posted on 03-22-05 05:50 AM Link | Quote
124. DON'T MULTI-TASK!!! If you are working on several BIG projects all at once, it is almost a death sentance to them. Work on one thing at a time. Stay focused on what you are working on, and don't be distracted from it. If you drop it to try something else, even for a little bit, you may never return to the first thing again! It's happened to me many times before.

125. Put your heart into the game! Care about it! If you really try, and you like your game, and you WANT to make it good, then you shouldn't have that much trouble.

126. Are your hand-drawn ExGFX kind of bland? (Supposing you're not a ripper...you aren't, right? GRR!!!) You might be surprised at what adding small little dots and patterns to foregrounds and backgrounds will do. REALLY.
ZTaimat

Red Koopa
BOW DOWN TO LORD SESSHOMARU!!
Level: 17

Posts: 17/128
EXP: 21278
For next: 3465

Since: 03-31-05

Since last post: 20 days
Last activity: 15 days
Posted on 04-01-05 04:56 PM Link | Quote
I'm against what Darkmatt said in number 30... not entirely though

127. If you wan't to make things slightly easier, you can finish the overworld and sub-maps first, set all the levels to the map, then lastly, look up the level you want to work on in the OW then work.

128. Try to keep the cape power up in farther levels, so people can't fly through your levels.

129. Order Switch Palaces so the Green Switch is NOT Second(or first)
Ex. Red, Yellow, Blue, GREEN


(edited by ZTaimat on 04-01-05 06:24 PM)
(edited by ZTaimat on 04-01-05 06:24 PM)
Ringodoggie

Snifit
Level: 27

Posts: 190/281
EXP: 114340
For next: 1819

Since: 03-23-04
From: London, Ontario, Canada

Since last post: 27 days
Last activity: 5 hours
Posted on 04-15-05 06:31 AM Link | Quote
130. When using custom palettes, don't use the last 8 colours of a palette on the same screen as the goal. They will not fade to black when you pass it.
Slay

Level: 25

Posts: 1/339
EXP: 85592
For next: 4028

Since: 04-28-05
From: Threshold Between Heaven and Hell

Since last post: 1 day
Last activity: 1 day
Posted on 04-28-05 01:34 PM Link | Quote
Tip 131 :: Plan out your levels on paper before you open up Lunar Magic and start editing.

I used to design crappy levels in every game I edited, whether it was using the Warcraft III World Editor, Lunar Magic or even Graal Online, back in the day. Why? Because I'd open the editor, try to place a few tiles and either get flustered by the sheer size of what I was attempting to do, or be dissatisfied with what I ended up with, and re-do little parts a thousand times, which was highly unproductive.

But ever since I started designing my levels on paper, things have become a lot easier. You've already designed the level, so when you sit down to the editor, you're simply making your idea into reality, using the drawing as a template. You don't need artistic skills, I know I have none. Just crudely drawn lines giving a basic idea of how the level looks.
Darkmatt

Red Cheep-cheep
Level: 24

Posts: 196/212
EXP: 75447
For next: 2678

Since: 03-15-04
From: Clarkston, WA

Since last post: 9 days
Last activity: 10 hours
Posted on 05-16-05 04:28 AM Link | Quote
*sob* You make me cry.

*Gets out paper and pencil*

EDIT: I really should add a tip.

132. Lunar Magic ain't perfect. Get other tools like BlockTool, and MWR. If you don't know where they are.....well......you're acting stupid, just look into the sticky posts!


(edited by Darkmatt on 05-15-05 11:29 AM)
(edited by Darkmatt on 05-15-05 11:30 AM)
Sukasa

Boomboom
Error 349857348734534: The system experienced an error.
Level: 57

Posts: 568/1981
EXP: 1446921
For next: 39007

Since: 02-06-05
From: *Shrug*

Since last post: 6 days
Last activity: 1 day
Posted on 05-17-05 05:20 AM Link | Quote
133. Don't settle. do things like MikeyK and franciospress, and try to learn as much about the SMW engine as you can and never give up, just keep trying to attain your goal.

134. Not everyone here is constructive all the time. If we say or do something offensive, ignore it. Only a select few of us actually want to have/see a flame war.
Mario_World_Lover

Shyguy
Level: 14

Posts: 14/95
EXP: 10869
For next: 2202

Since: 06-17-05
From: United Kingdom, England

Since last post: 89 days
Last activity: 43 days
Posted on 06-19-05 12:32 AM Link | Quote
Where can I find the latest version of Lunar Magic?
Smallhacker

Green Birdo

SMW Hacking Moderator
Level: 68

Posts: 1743/2273
EXP: 2647223
For next: 81577

Since: 03-15-04
From: Söderhamn, Sweden

Since last post: 10 hours
Last activity: 9 hours
Posted on 06-19-05 01:08 AM Link | Quote
Always read this thread before asking.
Sukasa

Boomboom
Error 349857348734534: The system experienced an error.
Level: 57

Posts: 1387/1981
EXP: 1446921
For next: 39007

Since: 02-06-05
From: *Shrug*

Since last post: 6 days
Last activity: 1 day
Posted on 07-24-05 04:56 AM Link | Quote
135. If somebody saya something critical about your hack, take it in stride, and address the problem. Don't get nasty because someone is trying to be productive and give good advice.
HyperLamer
<||bass> and this was the soloution i thought of that was guarinteed to piss off the greatest amount of people

Sesshomaru
Tamaranian

Level: 118

Posts: 6497/8210
EXP: 18171887
For next: 211027

Since: 03-15-04
From: Canada, w00t!
LOL FAD

Since last post: 2 hours
Last activity: 2 hours
Posted on 08-22-05 11:11 PM Link | Quote
136. Putting an entrance on an odd-numbered screen in a vertical level will cause background corruption. (Layer 2 levels should be alright.) This may have been posted before, but it's good advice. I found out the hard way.
Tatrion

Red Cheep-cheep
Level: 18

Posts: 25/215
EXP: 27181
For next: 2716

Since: 08-20-05

Since last post: 8 hours
Last activity: 7 hours
Posted on 08-23-05 08:09 AM Link | Quote
Originally posted by HyperHacker
136. Putting an entrance on an odd-numbered screen in a vertical level will cause background corruption. (Layer 2 levels should be alright.) This may have been posted before, but it's good advice. I found out the hard way.


THANK YOU. YOU ARE MY SAVIOR. *bows at your feet*

Uhh... I guess I should stay on topic too

#137 Puzzles are good. The more complex the better. Though I'll admit, it's hard to make good puzzles in SMW (especially if all you use is the original blocks), but it's doable.
HyperLamer
<||bass> and this was the soloution i thought of that was guarinteed to piss off the greatest amount of people

Sesshomaru
Tamaranian

Level: 118

Posts: 6501/8210
EXP: 18171887
For next: 211027

Since: 03-15-04
From: Canada, w00t!
LOL FAD

Since last post: 2 hours
Last activity: 2 hours
Posted on 08-23-05 10:44 AM Link | Quote
I know what you mean. It drove me nuts trying to figure it out. Eventually I just tried every possible FG/BG position combo, only to find NONE worked, and looked at one of the original levels to see what they did different.

Also, really complex puzzles aren't necessarily good. People like being able to figure them out, you know.

[edit] AAAAAGH! Bad idea: Open your ROM in a hex editor, edit a bunch of levels, then save something in the hex editor.


(edited by HyperHacker on 08-23-05 02:17 AM)
Tatrion

Red Cheep-cheep
Level: 18

Posts: 46/215
EXP: 27181
For next: 2716

Since: 08-20-05

Since last post: 8 hours
Last activity: 7 hours
Posted on 09-12-05 07:26 AM Link | Quote
This board moves slower then mollasses going uphill... anyway...

#138 Don't make your overworld islands and continents look like perfect squares. It's incredibly boring to look at. The other tiles are there so they look slightly more interesting.

#139 Remember that the first blank map16 map is Tileset specific, so any blocks you make will only appear when you're in that tileset. Use the second and up pages to insert blocks you don't want to change.
Pages: 1 2 3 4Add to favorites | "RSS" Feed | Next newer thread | Next older thread
Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - Super Mario World hacking - Useful hints for SMW hackers. | |


ABII


AcmlmBoard vl.ol (11-01-05)
© 2000-2005 Acmlm, Emuz, et al



Page rendered in 0.020 seconds.