When I saw "VLDCX results are out!", I immediatelly began to panic, thinking "oh no, what if I end up getting dead last again". Turns out, I got 57th!
It's about the place I was hoping for anyway.
I knew since the beginning that the core mechanic was going to be too awkward to get much higher than this, partly due to technical limitations, and partly due to my inexperience with SMW hacking. That specific layer 2 behavior is not really meant for lava stages, but I still think I managed to integrate it quite well all things considered. With some more tinkering, this mechanic probably could be improved much more.
I tried to make the level easier (in a few different ways) but overall it stayed quite difficult. Sorry for the potential frustration to anyone! (hopefully the conclusion made up for it)
Regarding powerups, there's actually an easy flower that you can get near the beginning with the climbing nets, but I'll agree that some sections could use an extra powerup (or at least, some of the hidden ones could've been made less hidden).
Originally posted by NoivernIt's also annoying that the first powerup can be a trap if the bottom lava isn't scrolled down enough, especially considering a first time player might not even know the lava is there at that point.
The lava that appears two seconds into the level, in a path where there's an arrow pointing the other way? Well...I guess I can see this happening since, right near the beginning, a person probably wouldn't know how the mechanic worked, and they might also expect a horizontal level and not a vertical one.
Originally posted by Rameau's NephewI think the idea was that you'd need to hurry and bring the throw block down to the P-switch ledge before it poofs out of existence, but you can either bring the Koopa shell down from about, or simply P on it after you've released the switch from its own block.
I believed that most people would use the P-switch to get the feather. The throw block was an added bonus in case someone was willing to go the distance.
Originally posted by Rameau's NephewSecond half seems a bit phoned in.
The idea was that, the blue path is longer and needs to be done quickly in one run, while the silver path is more difficult in general, but it's shorter. I figured, making the level even longer or more difficult would only annoy more people (and I put the dragon coins there for those who wanted a bit more challenge out of the level). I didn't realize I made the blue path that much different compared to the rest of the level, my bad.