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[APPROVED UPDATE] 3-4 - Grape Doom

My level for this collab. Beware if you use an adblocker like I do, you may also need to turn it off for Imgur to see these images. I might be claiming another level after this one, but which one I know not :D

1
2
3

Demo ROM

Scroll downwards for updates.. because I'm too lazy to put them here

And it may not have been obvious, but I claimed this level during the times of the older ME thread.

Erik Edit: Fixed link.

Edit: Look below, there are revisions.
The first and third screenshots make the level look a bit flat and bland, to be honest. Every chunk of land is a plain rectangle at exactly the same y position as the others. Add some slopes, height variation, etc. Could also do with some more decorations like bushes and such.

As for the design itself, I like the second screenshot the best. The first screenshot shows enemies and stuff that are just kind of...there. The wiggler, for example, is best used on smaller platforms so that the player has a tougher time avoiding tiggering it and/or getting hit by the angry form. The muncher climbing part is also incredibly easy and pointless. If the player chooses to climb, it's going to mess with the pacing because climbing is slow. On the other hand, if I were playing this, I would simply go on the cement blocks and avoid the vines entirely, which defeats the purpose of the obstacle even existing.

Honestly, the second screenshot does all of these things right. The bob-ombs are made more challenging by forcing the player to jump up to the platform they are on, which forces them to be more careful about their jump. The wiggler is placed in a spot where the player will have to stick around for a second to wait for the koopa. The chuck is placed under a low ceiling which requires you to carefully get in a hit to trigger him so you can get by.

It's not terrible, and you are a relatively new user so I'm assuming you are fairly new to hacking as well, so try not to take offense to what I'm saying. Your enemies could benefit from being placed in more dangerous situations for the player, and your design could use a bit more variation and decoration. I look forward to seeing what you can do to improve upon it, though.
2 years with SMW hacking, but I was never great at it.

Great constructive criticism, I'll see what I can do.
In another thing, I encountered a simillar issue (this wasn't hacking, this was just modding an open source game) where the collectables were just kind of there, and not in strategic positions.
This reminds me of that.

Thanks. :)

Update: 1 2

And demo rom for Erik and Centipede

derp
Updated with flat ground then a slope at the start.
<~Erik557> a hick: I think the level is fine now
<~Erik557> I'm not sure about the diffuculty, though: I think it's easy (not too much)
<~Erik557> And the random question blocks at the start
<~Erik557> oh, and the link was broken :P
<~Erik557> had to fix it
<~Erik557> maybe raise the question blocks in the floor
The only real complaint that I have with this level wold be:


Overall I though the level wasn't bad aside from maybe being somewhat easy compared to the others.

My hacks: Justice for Mario / Unnamed Kaizo Hack
huttah

Here SHOULD be the correct IPS. Soonly, I should do something about the mass clutter in my files.
Okay, the level is getting substantially better. I still feel it's too easy, though.
Here are some issues:

Sprite memory issues. Set #lm{sprhead} to 0A

This wiggler is fucking insane to gett past. Add a Hammer Bro platform in the space in middle of the image

Remove this powerup box. Three in one half is a lot.

If you want to cover that just change the types of edges.

I found no way of getting this 1-Up. Stick the block to the pipe.

Was all this space at the end necessary?

Fix those issues and post an IPS again.
Here

I have fixed most of the things that you asked, except for the space at the end (I did to some extent, just not completely, since why not) and the 1up.
Originally posted by Erik557
I still feel it's too easy, though.

Would just like to drop in here and drop off the concept of a breather level.

A problem with most collab hacks I've seen is that they don't encourage some (but not all) people to design these levels that are pretty easy so that the player doesn't constantly get worked up from all the hard levels.

Quote
Hammer Bro platform

This form of platform is annoying and for some reason isn't affected by tile priority. I'd say use a falling platform instead.
@wiggler: I'd say personally that I think that it is easy enough to get past the wiggler now, since I changed where the block that the wiggler bounce off of was, so now things are pretty automatic, still need good timing however.
Unless I have to, I don't think I'll be changing it.

@breatherlevel: Yup, and this is why I didn't like SMWCP1. (It was so constant, and it became boring)
If I do change it, I'll put a falling platform (as you suggested) and move the other things forward(back?) a bit. (idea is in my head)

oof
I fixed what I saw as a problem. (Put a block somewhere
insert words

I added a falling platform that was unnecessary, but he threatened me with logic and reason. So there it is. :)
Yes, it's fine now. Excellent as a breather level. Approved.

e: a yoshi coin was added
have fun (right click->save as)
so let's see


Tight spaces like these are not cool.
(fuk u the effect looks great)

I could never put these two pipes in synchronization. it forced me to take a hit. At least remove the munchers...

Also the second part just feels... there. I like the first part more but eh. change.
it's okay but it's a tad too frustrating. it obviously takes inspiration from super easy kaizo:light hacks like smw remix. this isn't necessarily a bad thing but some general design errors, a lack of development regarding some of the ideas in the level, and the overall unbalanced and stagnant difficulty curve makes this level a little hard to enjoy as it is.


(both the pipes grow and shrink)

this part is pretty cool but has no buildup. you're supposed to sync the pipes to jump across without taking a hit, but there's no in-game explanation, or antipieces to make the player understand what they have to do here, it's just "there" and the player's first instinct is to just blow through it. and there are very few times in the level where you have to do this. i'd like this more if it had more introduction and development, but right now it's pretty frustrating, cryptic, and looks like a forced hit at first.


this is basically a waiting game and isn't fun, not to mention that the koopa can get stuck in the pipe, which is rather unsightly. i'd recommend trying to figure out a different puzzle to surround this morton coin with


this is just plain frustrating and is pretty much a forced hit, unless you just happen to know about the koopa nearby and can manage to get its shell without taking a hit (it's right below a ceiling of munchers). i think you already have sprite buoyancy turned on, so a single tile of water above the chuck would make this a far more bearable obstacle


i had a lot of trouble getting past this part. you don't have enough room to slide-jump (because of the wiggler) and jumping off the wiggler is extremely difficult because of the length of the gap. and once you do, you have to balance mario on 2 small slopes just above boiling grape juice for 7 seconds.

also yeah the second section is a significant difficulty drop, personally i'd replace it with a shorter but more difficult section but that's entirely up to you

and finally, i noticed some slowdown at certain points in the level, usually when i was falling down in the first half. might want to look into fixing that, unless the rom you used didn't have fastrom...?

fix
Originally posted by MercuryPenny
it's okay but it's a tad too frustrating. it obviously takes inspiration from super easy kaizo:light hacks like smw remix. this isn't necessarily a bad thing but some general design errors,


I don't need to quote the rest. It's easy enough to tell that you're basing these pretty much all on your opinions, (well kinda, that's partially just said for laffs) and not on what is actually considered decent at all. Also, no inspiration was taken from kaizo;light hacks at all. This was all my own doing, and I based it on my own creations in an ancient normal-easy hack I did back in 2013 before I even thought to be here.

I answered the rest on IRC, and we all got it sorted out, so all good :)

"unbalanced and stagnant" those two words cancel each other out, WHICH DO YOU MEAN? :P
Originally posted by a hick
I don't need to quote the rest. It's easy enough to tell that you're basing these pretty much all on your opinions, and not on what is actually considered decent at all.

i was under the impression this whole process was to gather other opinions >_>

Originally posted by a hick
Also, no inspiration was taken from kaizo;light hacks at all. This was all my own doing, and I based it on my own creations in an ancient normal-easy hack I did back in 2013 before I even thought to be here.

i'll admit it was mostly the clapping chuck that got me thinking that way lol

Originally posted by a hick
"unbalanced and stagnant" those two words cancel each other out, WHICH DO YOU MEAN? :P

i guess i only meant unbalanced OOPS
hehe, I see how it is. Ah, well, we both misunderstood eachother's intentions entirely, the level got changed, Erik changed how stuff looked, fixed a few gltiches, lalalalaa,

everything is fine now. Or, uh, good.

Originally posted by Merc
i was under the impression this whole process was to gather other opinions >_>


Hmm, well, if you see it that way, that makes a lot more sense now :P
Approved and modified some things thanks to the feedback in IRC. Thanks to MercuryPenny, aHick and LHB!