That looks very cool. I like what you've achieved with only a few graphic tiles per screenshot. The backgrounds are beautiful. This might be a crazy question, but in screenshot #4 are you creating a fake Z coordinate effect to imply 3D movement like in Animaniacs, or is that just a parallelogram with 2D movements? Also, how did you do the cutscenes? Custom blocks for auto movement and MAP16 pages or some kind special tool? |
Posts by Conal
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Originally posted by Koopster This isn't "kaizo", it's called "hard for the wrong reasons". Starting with hiding threats behind the trees, Yeah, I'm going to remove priority on many of these tree stems, since there's too much obscurity. Quote and the visual confusion all around. The replacements make no sense and it's not obvious to tell what is what, and when you're overwhelmed with things coming at you from all sides you sort of need to know that. Can you please elaborate more on what you find confusing so I can rework it? Quote Please don't make this year's chore level is what I ask of you I don't understand. What's a chore level? Sorry. Quote Also the red things in the background stick out, like a lot. True that, I'm planning some ExAnimation trickery to overlay it with something that could blend in better; I found the red to seem a bit too near, because of how vibrant it is. Thank you for your feedback! |
Originally posted by Koopster What ticked me off the most were the fortress tiles being unsolid and the skulls being throw blocks. Some other changes I just found bad-looking, like the Bowser thwimps and the little blue plant which is probably a naked koopa, but those are more personal ones. Ah, I see. Yeah, I'm thinking about scrapping everything in the sub-level, besides the red hopping flame piranha. The blue plant was actually a Bob-omb, but I removed it because piranhas can't be killed by jumping on them and there's already a little red hopping flame piranha that you can only spin-jump on as it is. The skulls were experimental, but I didn't have a use for throw blocks really so I'm gonna remove them, plus some platforms that don't go anywhere. They're sort of left over from experiments when I started making the level. Quote Quote I don't understand. What's a chore level? Sorry. For better clarity, that would be a level that's a chore to complete. Levels that are way too long and unforgiving from past contests come to mind. I'll definitely cut down the obscuring environment and enemy count in many areas. I definitely don't want to do the chore level, I'm aiming to compete. What do you think of the aesthetics in the first room? |
I've made some changes to the initial room, but aren't finished with the hack beyond that. Also, the last "room" is actually room address #1 still, but high enough that Layer 3 is in exactly the same place visually. Originally posted by werd This level reminds me of my level I entered in vldc 10. Can you show me? For my own curiosity. I believe my ideas are original, but I have played VLDC ROMs before and maybe were subconsciously inspired by some things. I'm using my own ideas. |
I hear what you guys are saying about the colours, I've just began some extensive recolouring for your reappraisal. Edit: Since this video I've moved the moles further down the screen so you can see them before they start falling (which I'd meant to do in the first place). I'm considering changing them into something more plant like. Originally posted by LethalBrownies The smashed goal post is a really nice touch and is a neat concept. But overall, this level is just unappealing visually, in my opinion. Mainly the wacky (yet consistent) color choices, and the decision to use overworld graphics to replace certain sprites and alter the backround (I'm referring specifically to the oddly cutoff rock). That whole room is a testing ground that might get completely scrapped, but the Layer 3 area is just unfinished. Because we're allowed to recolour during the transition from 4BP to 2BP I'm considering having a transparent rock for the water and one for being on the land. They should use separate colours, at least different outlines on the background, which I'll be sure to do in due course. My priority right this moment is fixing those god awful colours. Originally posted by werd There is videos of my level I'm not sure how it looks similar to something you can't show me. :L Originally posted by Katerpie This isn't too visually unappealing now, but it still needs more. I'm really ticked off by how you reskinned the football to be a thwimp (since thwimps cannot be killed with a single hop), I agree. Vanilla tiles should be indicative of expected behaviour. I've been playing around with different tiles on sprites, but will bare that in mind. Quote and the overworld tiles in the background with a different color than the rest. The combination of purple foreground with purple background only adds to the confusion. Yeah, I'm working on the colour as we speak because I'm getting fed up with it. Lol. |
I'm 100% convinced there will be a compilation ROM, no matter what anyone says, but we're all about that level design right now innit. Edit: After all this talk of patching out the OW, I might just start testing my level from address C5. Both immediate entry to the one level and a retry system. We can always add on switch palace levels and access to the OW once the main level is complete anyway. |
Looks like a spooky level. Personally I like the way the smiley clouds look. There's some creativity going on with the pipes holding the bones in place, the black bar for the disappearing floor might look better if you replaced the black GFX with something else; I know you could fit something in there. The ropy looking rocks are interesting, although they don't really connect. I suppose it's a style. I like how the darker foreground seems to be passable. What seems to me to be the thing that really stands out the most in a conflicting way is the colouring of Layer 2. Are you planning on changing the colour of the leaves at some point? |
I don't see any reasons why Display Level Message 1 wouldn't be allowed, since Lunar Magic has had a tweak for it which keeps it from going to the OW ever since before I started using the tool. It will move the intro level to 1C5, but that's about it. Then your sprite will work in levels, the message will appear and then disappear, allowing you to keep playing on the level. |
Originally posted by eltiolavara9 Originally posted by Conal What seems to me to be the thing that really stands out the most in a conflicting way is the colouring of Layer 2. Are you planning on changing the colour of the leaves at some point? do you mean the background? i don't have any plans to change the color, as i cant really think of anything I was thinking it might work well being of similar colours to the foreground. Originally posted by eltiolavara9 screenshots of the 2nd, more athletic part That's some very cool level design. |
Originally posted by LethalBrownies Originally posted by Conal In history? Probably not. In the contest?... I think so? Looks really good actually. ^^; Gracias. Originally posted by Flabort Those would be water tiles and pipe tiles? Are the water tiles interactive? If so, how do you keep the light beams from being interactive? Is it just a map16 style thingy in the layer3 "exgfx" page? This Layer 3 is not interactive. There's some cool Layer 3 interaction edits I'd love to learn more about, like making them act as lava on the bottom and be passable above, but they use additional ASM so I can't do that here. Basically, the rays have priority off and the water has priority on, they use a piece of palette from the background to blend in. I'm annoyed that I can't make it transparent to Layer 1, it is instead transparent through to Layer 2. I had to compromise with doing a fake water reflection using Layer 2, since it doesn't scroll vertically anyway. I'm told there's a way to make it transparent through to Layer 1, but it requires code that I can't use for this competition anyway. Also, there's blank water tiles down there, so you can swim and the falling sprites make a splash, although it doesn't need to be blank because it's completely obscured Layer 1. It's made from that diagonal pipe and I forgot where the water tiles came from (maybe they're OW tiles). I've never done Layer 3 before, so I could do with some tips. |
If I get you over a level that hasn't been even 25% finished yet, would you give me a review? |