Posted by NightKev

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1) Garbage tiles are bad, we don't want them in hacks (you said it wasn't an April' Fools hack).
2) I like the platform thing you did there.
3) Coin arrows, not exactly new but that's fine.
4) Is the water(?) dangerous?

Edit: Also, I'll download it and see how it plays.
Edit2: Convenient link for people too lazy to copy&paste the DL link. SMW2000Demo2.75
Edit3: Well after playing the intro level (in which I died 3 times) and the first level, you seem to be good with level design (hitting a "?" block knocks a koopa shell up which hits another "?" block which hits another shell which hits a "?" block with a 1-up in it is very inventive, nice job) and I like the OW too (you forgot to show SS of that). I'm not sure what the point of the intro level was though...

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Posted by Lordlazer

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1) Intro Screen
--- It is nice to have an interactive introduction, but the execution of the idea was done poorly. For instance, I had no warning that I had control over Mario, thus I died from waiting for an introduction message (ironically the death occurred exactly (or at least close to) when the message would've been displayed).

Improvement: I don't have an exact answer for this, but perhaps having a message come up to bring awareness to the player. Another way might be good is to just let the player figure it out after waiting for the message to appear, but if you like this idea, remove the koopa that kills Mario if he stands still [unless you find it amusing to sit in your chair wondering, "Ahahaha... How many people died from that one?"].

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2) Koopa-Bounce 1-up
--- I don't know what to call this, but I found it...neat, that by jumping under one of the blocks it made a chain reaction of koopa shells emerge and cause a 1-up to fall from the top. To be more honestly, I found it ammusing... The problem comes up with the level around it, as with all of your levels. Simply put, they aren't polished ideas; if one were to relate this to literature, I believe one could use the metaphore of a "fragmented idea".

It seems you are trying to do one thing, but then go elsewhere on a whim. In addition, the level design feels like a Megaman or Metroid game gone wrong (if I were to dare compare it to a game...). For instance, I believe in level 01 (or level 02?) where it is like an entanglement of ground that is uprooted as if to be a maze, but is too linear to be one. Also, not that Mario needs "logic", it doesn't seem to compliment the Mario universe; in other words, (I guess) it is like I'm randomly jumping through a level to get to the goal. Likely in many hacks and Mario games it is "random" jumps (keeping what I said in mind), but they at least provide the illusion that the world belongs, creating a fluidity to the game flow.

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I could keep going on for examples, but I believe I've driven the point across. Also, I hate to say this, but try to come up with a more original title screen. Unless this hack is supposed to be "classic", why have SMB ~ World 1-1 as the introduction to your game? It doesn't compliment the game at all, if anything it detracts by totally misleading the gamer, planting in them false expectations (which is rarely a good thing to do).

Anyways, keep cracking at it and good luck! Sorry I couldn't say more positive things... :-/

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Edit: How many levels is the demo exactly (without going into LM)? If there is more than 6 (including the Yellow Palace and the Ruined Castle), please tell me which level to look in for the secret exit and I'll go do that. I apologize if I didn't finish the demo, but I actually lost interest in looking for it (I thought it was in level 03, but after going in the yellow pipe [had to get the silver and blue POW] I was welcomed by only a 3-up (though that is a neat idea to make the player work for that, but it was kind of misleading for me as I thought that was the secret exit...).

Edit #2: I forgot to add that in the Ruined Castle, you either have a Sprite Glitch that doesn't allow the player to continue all the way to the right (across the lava) or you didn't finish that level yet.

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Posted by theclaw

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That's why I made that vertical level tile problem part of the storyline. Same with Yoshi and his appearance in castle levels.

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