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| Autoscrolling levels - Love 'em or Hate 'em? |
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Forum Index - Hobbies - Gaming - Autoscrolling levels - Love 'em or Hate 'em? |
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| Posted on 2012-03-23 01:16:07 PM |
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I've been wondering, what are peoples' opinions on these types of levels in 2D platformers? I personally find these boring when the screen scrolls very slowly.
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| Posted on 2012-03-23 01:32:53 PM |
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I think the bar for autoscroll levels is pretty high within this community. Some people here (don't remember who though) hate them entirely.
I personally have no problem with an autoscroll level if it's handled properly (if the scrolling isn't too slow and/or there's always something to do).
EDIT: I just finished playing level 9-8 in NSMBWii. That is a good example of a good autoscroll level. Not only was it interesting the entire time, the parts with the king bills were actually made more fair and interesting than they would have been if there were no autoscroll.
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| Last edited on 2012-03-23 01:40:19 PM by TRS. |
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| Posted on 2012-03-23 02:08:42 PM |
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They're my least favorite types of loves.
And they aren't fun at all.
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| Posted on 2012-03-23 02:26:56 PM |
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Autoscroll levels ruin the fun of stripping down the whole level to find all the secrets and get all the coins, like i try to do.
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| Posted on 2012-03-23 02:49:40 PM |
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A good autoscrolling level needs to be consistently challenging enough as to not make it boring as hell, while still being slow enough to be manageable without having to memorize parts of the level. Very few people can make an autoscrolling level interesting, mostly due to the nonexistent exploration factor and consistent difficulty, which is probably the reason as to why they're hated so much.
...This is what I've gathered from all the autoscrolling levels I've played, anyway. Speaking of those, I should try making a good autoscroll level one day, so wish me luck.
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| Posted on 2012-03-24 01:11:46 AM |
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The way I figure it, autoscrolling is just a gimmick, and like any gimmick, the level has to be meticulously planned around it. You'll often find that it's shockingly easy to tell whether a level author put the autoscroll sprite in their level before or after they actually designed it.
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| Posted on 2012-03-24 02:06:04 AM |
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I personally have no beef with autoscrolling. It's all about the speed and the content, with the content being related to the speed of course. A flat ol snoozefest level would be even worse with slow autoscroll, but not many people wants an obscenely complicated level with extremely fast autoscroll either.
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| Last edited on 2012-03-24 02:22:26 AM by Chuckles. |
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| Posted on 2012-03-24 05:36:27 AM |
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I usually hate autoscrolling levels. Putting autoscroll in a level that could have worked without it has a tendency to make a good level into an okay one, an okay level into an annoying one, and an already annoying one into an unholy nightmare. It can be a very good source of fake difficulty, just like removing checkpoints from levels (why did the designers of NSMBWii and DKCR do that anyway?!). Sometimes, it doesn't even take that shallow step; I can think of at least two levels that probably would have been perfectly fine without autoscroll that, with it, I dread every time I reach them in their respective games. That said, even I admit that there is such a thing as a good autoscrolling level. They're just few and far between. I think that a game about the same size as SMW should have no more than three or so autoscrolling levels, unless the creator is REALLY good at making them fun (and considering this is ROM hacking territory, he/she probably won't be).
Some autoscroll levels I have known and my comments on them:
- SMB3, 1-4: Probably would have better without the autoscroll...having it here makes this level seem like quite a difficulty spike. Heck, this one might have been a difficulty spike even without it, what with the many opportunities you have to fall into the bottomless pit.
- SMB3, 3-6: It's been long enough since I've played SMB3 that I hardly remember this level. It seems like the autoscroll doesn't really add much to it except a little bit of fake difficulty, though.
- SMB3, 5-6: Same as above, except I remember this one better.
- SMB3, 5-9: Now here's an example of an autoscrolling level done well. The autoscrolling actually works into the level; it just wouldn't be the same without it (considering the level contains only, what, 2 enemies?).
- SMB3, 6-2: See note for 3-6. SMB3 really likes its autoscrolling levels, doesn't it?
- SMB3, 6-7: The autoscrolling here doesn't really make the level that much harder or more annoying, but it sure makes it a pain to get all the coins for the white mushroom house....
- SMB3, 7-4: Ugh. This level would have been at least mildly annoying even without autoscroll, but with it?! There's a reason why there aren't many autoscrolling water levels.
- SMB3, all airships: I have mixed feelings about these...on one hand, they all autoscroll, so I'm used to it, so it would seem weird if they scrolled normally. On the other hand, there are plenty of instances where I've been screwed over in one way or another by the autoscroll. That one infamous airship in World 8 comes to mind, but even earlier, there were cases of the autoscrolling at least making things really boring in some parts. Besides, not all the airships in NSMBWii autoscrolled, so it can be done, right?
- SMW, #1 Iggy's Castle (second part): While the autoscrolling can make things a bit slow here, without it, it would be too easy to run through this section of the level. I could say that about any sublevel with the Layer 3 Smash sprite, actually.
- SMW, Donut Plains 2: Okay, this level should have just removed the autoscroll and had slightly more difficult jumps and more enemies. This level isn't hard, but it is slow as heck.
- SMW, Butter Bridge 1: This one could have been fun, but the autoscroll makes it rather annoying. One could argue that it had to autoscroll for the scale platforms to work properly, but all they'd have to do to fix that would be to handle offscreen processing for them differently.
- SMW, Forest Fortress (first part): This part actually probably would have been fine without autoscroll; it does have the Layer 3 Smash, but the Grinders are also there to trip you up this time. Maybe they could have removed the autoscroll and made the ground less even?
- SMW, Bowser's Castle (door 1): Again with the Layer 3 Smash. The main problem here is how easy it is to get trapped, particularly if you've missed any of the switch palaces. It makes for a decent challenge, though.
- YI, 1-5: A bit annoying and unnecessary. 1-5 would have been more fun without autoscroll. It's not that bad, but not a level I'd go back to to play again.
- YI, Extra 1: Urgh. Without autoscroll, this one would have been just a bit on the annoying side. With it, well, it's one of my most hated levels in the game. The only good feelings I ever get from this one are when it's over.
- YI, 5-6 (first part): I don't really mind the autoscroll here. 5-6 used to kick my butt, but now it's no big deal. I'm not sure if it would be better without it, though.
- YI, 6-5: This would have been an okay level without autoscroll, but as it is, well...I hate it. I absolutely hate this level. Getting through it is a pain, and getting 100 points is even worse. If the autoscroll doesn't make things too slow, it makes them too fast, and it has a nasty habit of cutting you off.
- NSMBWii, World 2 castle: The autoscroll is justified here because of the repeating level mechanic.
- NSMBWii, 5-5: This stage wasn't that hard, but I still would have preferred it without the autoscroll, I think....
- NSMBWii, 7-6: Would have been less annoying without the autoscroll...
- NSMBWii, 8-5: Ditto.
- NSMBWii, 9-4: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH. I HATE THIS LEVEL. 9-7 is probably the most infamous level in this game, but I thought 9-4 was worse. At least 9-7 didn't autoscroll...this one doesn't seem like it would even have been all that bad without the autoscroll, but as it is, beating it is a pain and getting the Star Coins is an absolute nightmare. I've completed NSMBWii twice now, and 9-4 still stands out as one of my most hated video game levels of all time.
- NSMBWii, 9-8: Okay, after the hell that a lot of the rest of World 9 consists of, this one isn't so bad. I still wish it didn't autoscroll (if nothing else, it makes it hard to collect goodies), but it could be worse.
- I don't remember which airships in NSMBWii had autoscroll and which didn't, so I can't really say anything about them, although I don't remember having that many autoscroll-related problems with them.
- Mega Man 4, Dr. Cossack Stage 3: Now THIS is a good autoscrolling level. It feels like the pacing is very reasonable here for the most part, not too fast and not too slow.
- Mega Man & Bass, Tengu Man's stage (first part): Okay, this part isn't that bad, but...eh.
- Mega Man X6, Metal Shark Player's secondary area: How annoying this one is depends greatly on how well you're equipped to deal with it. If you take the Ride Armor and have no Nightmare effects active in the stage (or Blizzard Wolfang's, which doesn't affect this part anyway), it shouldn't be much of a problem. If you didn't take the Ride Armor or have Ground Scaravich's Nightmare effect, you're in for a nasty level.
- DKC3, Ripsaw Rage: This seems like the kind of stage that would be really annoying, but I don't find it all that bad. (I probably did the first time I was playing the game, though.) I think it's a decent enough level.
In summary: Autoscrolling levels can be good, but they usually aren't, and more often than not, the autoscrolling does nothing but add fake difficulty. Also, Super Mario Bros. 3 has too many of them, Yoshi's Island has a few that are a huge pain, and 9-4 in New Super Mario Bros. Wii sucks.
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| Last edited on 2012-03-24 05:36:56 AM by imamelia. |
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| Posted on 2012-03-24 07:10:33 AM |
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Ah yes, 7-4 in SMB3, I always, ALWAYS HATE... THAT... LEVEL! 
Asterix on the Master System had some annoying autoscrolling levels.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8l5rDBK4bA
4:55 - God, I hated this level as a kid and I STILL hate it now!
http://www.smwcentral.net/?p=post&do=reply&t=55299
2:58 - I FUCKING HATE THIS PART!  While it's not techinically an autoscroller the platform you sit on really makes the screen scroll. But what pisses me off about this level is that if you get hit even ONCE by one of the spikes then you're screwed not to mention that at 3:27 there is a Key in the pot you HAVE to get. If you miss it then you have to die and start again. You also must have good timing. You could miss the platform after getting the Key meaning that you are fucked and have to die again. Then try doing this with Obelix who is TWICE the size of Asterix!
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| Posted on 2012-03-25 03:53:07 PM |
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Sometimes I hate autoscrolling levels. The final level from Aero the Acro-Bat is one of them, it's very hard once you don't learned the tactic of the enemies, and the worst part: It's auto-scroll! I couldn't even pass this level because of that. And I hate also some autoscrolling levels of SMB3.
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| Posted on 2012-03-25 06:49:27 PM |
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Hate'em, especially when there used in Water or Castle Level
Not to mention when the Speed rapidly changes
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| Posted on 2012-03-26 12:14:43 AM |
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Hate 'em, mostly because they're usually too slow since I usually zip through every level at a quick pace. SMB3's World 8 airship is about the only autoscroll level I like, although it still feels a tad slow for my pacing.
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| Posted on 2012-03-26 04:02:12 AM |
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I actually don't have a problem with auto scroll levels. I think sometimes they can be real fun if they're done the right way. The only downfall to me is if you happen to die, you have to wait for the scrolling to arrive back to the area you died in instead of being able to move at your own pace. Dying on these type of levels are the absolute worse to me, just because of that. One Mario game I absolutely despised auto scrolling was Super Mario 3D Land; I can recall hating just about every auto scroll level on there.
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| Posted on 2012-03-27 04:06:32 PM |
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I remembered a really HORRIBLE autoscroll level I played in an Super Mario Bros. X episode called Bowser's Brain Control Takeover. There's an autoscrolling level called Sunnyside Pyramids. Not only does the level last SEVEN MINUTES but you have a sun constantly throwing fire at you, enemies everywhere and there is NO CHECKPOINT! And as if that wasn't worse enough, THERE'S A FUCKING SECRET EXIT where you have to carry a Springboard all the way to the end!
Look at this LP here, I would be really pissed off if I made it to the end and died. Of course I never managed to get the Secret Exit after getting the normal one. I had enough of this bullshit and decided to move the secret to the beginning with the level editor.
This has to be the WORST autoscroll level in HISTORY!
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| Posted on 2012-03-28 12:19:34 AM |
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yes....the Autoscroll gimmick. The arsehole of the all gaming modes...I CANNOT TELL YOU, how much I hate them but they are fun challenging. You have no idea how much people hate them. I shall make of the worse ones. Terrible autoscrolls like 'Veeeeeery Long Cave from SMW2 - YI to SMB3 8-Airship....pisses you off the ball like a boss. I'd love to know who invented that gimmick...so I can crush them to dust....yeup.
.....
No comment other than can explain the raping screenscroll.
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| Last edited on 2012-03-28 12:20:58 AM by Ruberjig. |
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| Posted on 2012-03-31 09:40:00 AM |
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Originally posted by GNA good autoscrolling level needs to be consistently challenging enough as to not make it boring as hell, while still being slow enough to be manageable without having to memorize parts of the level. Very few people can make an autoscrolling level interesting, mostly due to the nonexistent exploration factor and consistent difficulty, which is probably the reason as to why they're hated so much.
Yes it is difficult to make lots of things to explore with an autoscrolling level however you can still make one full of secrets like SMB3 world 1 level 4 where there was hidden one ups and coin blocks that you needed to find in order to get the P-Wing.
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Forum Index - Hobbies - Gaming - Autoscrolling levels - Love 'em or Hate 'em? |
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