Troll Hack Guidelines
Troll hacks should mix things up
Trolls have to be varied and interesting; make sure you're not constantly reusing the same setup with no changes (e.g. do not have the player repeat the same section over and over just to die to the same troll you used in a prior section), and ideally, they should strive to be as funny as possible.
Troll hacks should be original
Avoid overused trolls such as easy map16 edits (e.g. cement acting like munchers, death water and/or walls, fake floor, etc.)
Troll hacks should be benevolent
Keep the player on edge, and don't make stuff too hard to figure out. The player usually doesn't want to die more than 3 or 4 times to a section/troll. Dying more than that on the same section makes the hack more tedious than fun.
Troll hacks are still held to other core values
Good level design and good graphics are still very much valued, so make sure your trolls have a good level to accompany them.
Troll hacks should respect the player when including softlocks and resets
Softlocks and/or crashes are a special case in troll hacks. The general rule is that forced resets (like crashes and softlocks) are fine when executed well; if you do force a reset, it's best to not make the player lose an exorbitant amount of progress and if you trap the player in a softlock don't make the player wait more than 30 real-time seconds.
If you want to use a crash as a troll, the same rule on the loss of progress applies and the crash needs to be safe (e.g. not wipe any save data or cause the game to be unplayable, as that will cause a rejection) and indicated by the maker preferably in the Submission Notes, this way the moderator will know that the crash is intentional and not accidental.
Remember to review the Guidelines for all hacks in addition to these before submitting your hack.
Troll hacks should mix things up
Trolls have to be varied and interesting; make sure you're not constantly reusing the same setup with no changes (e.g. do not have the player repeat the same section over and over just to die to the same troll you used in a prior section), and ideally, they should strive to be as funny as possible.
Troll hacks should be original
Avoid overused trolls such as easy map16 edits (e.g. cement acting like munchers, death water and/or walls, fake floor, etc.)
Troll hacks should be benevolent
Keep the player on edge, and don't make stuff too hard to figure out. The player usually doesn't want to die more than 3 or 4 times to a section/troll. Dying more than that on the same section makes the hack more tedious than fun.
Troll hacks are still held to other core values
Good level design and good graphics are still very much valued, so make sure your trolls have a good level to accompany them.
Troll hacks should respect the player when including softlocks and resets
Softlocks and/or crashes are a special case in troll hacks. The general rule is that forced resets (like crashes and softlocks) are fine when executed well; if you do force a reset, it's best to not make the player lose an exorbitant amount of progress and if you trap the player in a softlock don't make the player wait more than 30 real-time seconds.
If you want to use a crash as a troll, the same rule on the loss of progress applies and the crash needs to be safe (e.g. not wipe any save data or cause the game to be unplayable, as that will cause a rejection) and indicated by the maker preferably in the Submission Notes, this way the moderator will know that the crash is intentional and not accidental.
Remember to review the Guidelines for all hacks in addition to these before submitting your hack.