Originally posted by S.N.N.The question is, do we want to get a new tileset which is unique to this level (and as such, would be palette-swapped between the five phases or something)? I'd really hate to see a complete mish-mash of stuff that was already used earlier in terms of graphics.
I really think it probably should. Honestly, this stage should look different from any we've ever really seen in SMW hacking in general. What I'd
really like to especially see are some crazy HDMA effects in the BGs similar to those seen in the battle sequences in Earthbound--some of those might be a bit beyond SMW's powers, but a lot of them use relatively simply graphics with a well-chosen bit of undulation and palette animation to make surprisingly impressive effects.
Originally posted by Giant Shy GuyAlso, this is my personal problem that I think applies here:
How will we integrate all these themes together?
I have a problem with my levels, which is usually disjointed (uhh...I need to find a way to better flow my Blue Switch), and with these five phases, it would feel out of nowhere when one time it's happy land the next its angry land.
Well, they seem to follow in such an order that a gradual transition of mood wouldn't be to hard--happiness is followe my mischief, and anger is last, after sadness/depression (with perplexity in the middle). The important thing, however, is that the designers
really need to communicate on these parts in order to make sure they fit together well.
EDIT:
Concerning the ideas of the themes of the subsections...I'm wondering if they should all necessarily be posed as "What if"s. If we're pursuing the idea discussed in the boss thread of Mario trying to wake up the Dreamer, and here interpreting him as a nightmare/one of the forces previously trying to exploit her, it would make sense if the first section (Happiness) were simply structured as a sort of rowdy party, in keeping with the idea of Mario and the inhabitants of the world trying to make a lot of noise (especially as I've got to admit the the coin business strikes me as my least favorite of the proposals), thereby establishing precisely what's going on here. Part 2 (Mischief) ties into that as well--after part 1, the Dreamer is starting to stir, and so things begin to break down, and get a little more abstract. Part 3 (Perplex) marks the beginning of her counterattack by sealing Mario in a maze, and could also be where she starts to address him directly. Parts 4 and 5, correspondingly,
could (but needn't necessarily) be more along the lines of what-ifs, wherein she refines her psychological warfare in an attempt to hit Mario on more of a personal level. When this, too, fails, we have the final boss. This would definitely help with giving us something of a smoother transition as well.