UNORIGINAL - Discussion Thread - Works in Progress

Welcome to the world of mediocre!

SUMMARY
This is my first real attempt at making a SMW hack with the goal to actually finish it. This is not going to be a quick project, perhaps spanning the course of a year or so, but the intent is to make something that's at least fun for the player. It's not about the looks or how many gimmicks I put in the levels, but it's about what you do with your gimmicks that make it fun. I'm also going about it in a manner that wouldn't be out of place in a typical Mario adventure.

Quote

"After rescuing the Princess countless times from that mean ol' Bowser, Mario has had enough. He sneaks out from the Toads around the border of the Mushroom Kingdom to take a ship he built to a mysterious island known to the natives as "Portento".

At the same time, a group of Bowser's minions are fed up because he won't let them rise in the ranks. They too decide to set sail for "Portento", but their purpose there will be to create a new armada to not only steal the Princess, but to reap the rewards Bowser would otherwise receive.

The minions make it there first during the day and set up camp. Not long after, Mario makes it to shore. The minions notice and set up an attack. While Mario is asleep, the attack is put into play. Mario's ship is destroyed and his anger is at a boiling point. Armed with a Super Mushroom, Mario sets forth upon this new land and tries to make it out of there alive. Turns out you can't always get what you want!"

Download the demo! (Summer C3 2020)

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Screenshots

World 1 Map
Net Neutrality (Preview)
Nightly Hijinks (Preview)

Videos
View the entire playlist of videos here!

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As a long term member who has run into the same issues you've run into I gotta say I love this idea.

Originally posted by Ninja Boy

As a long term member who has run into the same issues you've run into I gotta say I love this idea.

Thanks. Yeah, I wanted to go with a different approach since I have a new perspective on how to complete some long-term projects. I think if I have enough patience, I can get it done. I just need to realize it's something that can't be completed in one day (Unless you want it looking like crap).

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Here's a preview for a new level called "Seeing Some Saws". The idea of this level is supposed to be based on the saying, "Expect the unexpected". That's evident by the first time you try to get a powerup. I'm needing some feedback to ensure that a) The level isn't too slow, b) The level isn't too dickish, and c) The entertainment value is good. Let me know what you guys think!

I should also note that the pipe at the beginning is just for testing. It'll be out of the final version FYI.

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Very nice work so far! Looking forward to seeing how this will turn out, I'm happy that this level looks to be a bit of a step up in difficulty than the first level posted.

I don't think it's too rude at all, but perhaps a bit slow? If medium autoscroll is too fast, you could try a custom one at a speed in-between the two.

The section with the falling rocks could maybe use a single cloud tile up near the very top to briefly show the rocks falling, so it's less blind maybe?

Lastly, I found the change in environment slightly jarring. But otherwise, very solid levels that seem to have a solid grasp of interesting design. Looking forward to more levels, and slightly hoping the levels get more tricky later on.

Originally posted by GbreezeSunset

Very nice work so far! Looking forward to seeing how this will turn out, I'm happy that this level looks to be a bit of a step up in difficulty than the first level posted.

I don't think it's too rude at all, but perhaps a bit slow? If medium autoscroll is too fast, you could try a custom one at a speed in-between the two.

The section with the falling rocks could maybe use a single cloud tile up near the very top to briefly show the rocks falling, so it's less blind maybe?

Lastly, I found the change in environment slightly jarring. But otherwise, very solid levels that seem to have a solid grasp of interesting design. Looking forward to more levels, and slightly hoping the levels get more tricky later on.

Yeah, the first level I posted is for the first world. The new level may be for the next world, I'm hoping.

I've been debating on the speed ever since I started creating the level. At some parts, it works fine, while others, it doesn't really leave enough suspense or it makes the level grind to a halt for a bit. I'll eventually try out the medium speed and see how that all works.

The falling rocks bit, yeah, that's a part I've also been debating about. Eventually, I would like to get a sign in the style of the SMW Yoshi sign (or something to that style) that would indicate falling rocks, but I couldn't rely on that alone. It still wouldn't fix the issue of the blind rock placement. I think that's why I put that buzzsaw there, to kind of stop you from rushing forward.

As for the environment change, I kind of wanted it to be like you were in the sky for the most part. However, upon second glance, I can see what you mean. When I originally put that background on, it was jarring to me then. I tried changing the background color, and I thought it worked, but I don't know. I'll toy around with it some other time when I get the chance.

I'm expecting levels to get trickier as time goes on, though I'm not going to go all ludicrously difficult on the player. My intention really is to treat this as a project that could be enjoyed by a SMW player regardless of skill. That doesn't mean it's going to be easy, oh no. It just means that I'm going to design the levels to be challenging yet simple to figure out.

Thanks for the feedback!

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I agree it's a little on the slow side the main problem people fall into with auto scrollers is they build a level not with the auto scroll in mind though this one looks like you did have it in mind it's just a bit slow. Keeping the player on their toes is the best way to approach an autoscroller keep them busy so they don't get bored.

I actually think the rocks are fine and don't need to be slowed at all it gives a decent challenge and you have plenty of time to react to them which is good.

Honestly the transition is fine, you o through a pipe and are now not in the forest, you could make them match a bit more but I don't see an issue with it.

Originally posted by Ninja Boy

I agree it's a little on the slow side the main problem people fall into with auto scrollers is they build a level not with the auto scroll in mind though this one looks like you did have it in mind it's just a bit slow. Keeping the player on their toes is the best way to approach an autoscroller keep them busy so they don't get bored.

I actually think the rocks are fine and don't need to be slowed at all it gives a decent challenge and you have plenty of time to react to them which is good.

Honestly the transition is fine, you o through a pipe and are now not in the forest, you could make them match a bit more but I don't see an issue with it.

Yeah, I actually did try the default medium speed last night before going to bed, and it kind of made the level too difficult. I'll have to get a patch that works on that issue. Any links to a auto-scroller speed patch or something? And yes, keeping the player on their toes is the best way to make an auto-scroller.

I am planning on changing the background slightly. My idea now will be to take the background from the first part and move it down slightly to make it seem like you're higher in the forest. It would make more sense and not be very jarring like Gbreeze said.

Again, thank you guys for all the feedback. I'm trying not to harp on every single detail and just make levels, but it's definitely appreciated.

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*cough cough Auto-Scroll Speed Customizer cough cough*

Yeah moving the forest BG down a bit would work but I would make sure to maybe combined it with the clouds and in fact putting one of them on layer 2 and one on layer 3 would give a nice aesthetic in fact pretty much all the original game BGs have been converted to layer 3 so you wouldn't even need to do much work for that.

Originally posted by Ninja Boy

*cough cough Auto-Scroll Speed Customizer cough cough*

Yeah moving the forest BG down a bit would work but I would make sure to maybe combined it with the clouds and in fact putting one of them on layer 2 and one on layer 3 would give a nice aesthetic in fact pretty much all the original game BGs have been converted to layer 3 so you wouldn't even need to do much work for that.

Wow. I would have never guessed.

I did modify the background a bit. The forest portion does show the top now, but I'm still not satisfied with it. I need to look into that layer 3 trick, because I've seen that before and wondered how to do that. I assume there's a tutorial on that? Or is it really simple?

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Hey buddy!
Love how you make use of the vanilla sprites, it reminds me of my earlier style...

I'd almost offer you to collab with me on something, but first of all I'll respect your wish to let you lead this one project until you're done and published! Plus I also have mine to cook. Maybe on a later contest?

I will follow this thread to see more from you. Good luck!

Originally posted by qantuum

Hey buddy!
Love how you make use of the vanilla sprites, it reminds me of my earlier style...

I'd almost offer you to collab with me on something, but first of all I'll respect your wish to let you lead this one project until you're done and published! Plus I also have mine to cook. Maybe on a later contest?

I will follow this thread to see more from you. Good luck!

Thanks! I would collab, but I've have a lot going on right now and I'm only doing this in what spare time I have. Thanks for the offer though!

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Layer 3 BGs aren't that hard to set up, I'm not 100% sure there's a good tutorial on it but if you're using a pre-made BG it's fairly straight forward.

Originally posted by Ninja Boy

Layer 3 BGs aren't that hard to set up, I'm not 100% sure there's a good tutorial on it but if you're using a pre-made BG it's fairly straight forward.

That's good. I'll try to tinker around with it. Thanks!

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Things are going very well on the project so far. I've started on two new levels but I don't have much to show at the moment. I can provide some shots along with a description for both levels, starting with Glimmering Tundra:

Both these levels are going to be a departure from the previous levels I've shown. They're more focused on a calm atmosphere, rather than the upbeat atmosphere of those levels. However, that doesn't mean things won't be as calm here. These two levels are geared more toward the middle of the hack.

Glimmering Tundra is, of course, an ice level. I wanted to try an ice level, because I've wanted to experiment with utilizing ice physics as an actual challenge. That means I just didn't want the challenge to be based on jumping from one-tile blocks and what not. It's going to be a cramped area with an emphasis on timing while watching what's in front of you. However, the problem will be trying to make sure I don't over-emphasize on timing. Otherwise, the entire level would be a drag.

The next level is Foresta Maestosa (Italian for "Majestic Forest"):

Sorry for the lack of shots on this one. I started this one early this morning but I had to go do some house work, so I had little time to work on it.

Anyways, Foresta Maestosa is supposed to be the introduction for the forest world. I'm imagining it to be a scenario where you just got done with a brutal level, and this is sort of a treat for the player; an easier level for their hard work. That's not to say that it'll be first-world easy, oh no. There'll be some challenge within this thing. Much like the tundra, it'll involve some areas where timing is key.

That's all I got for now. Sorry for nothing substantial, but it has been a hectic weekend and I wanted to get something out before the week began.

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Well, it has been almost two weeks since an actual update has occurred. I've updated the first post of this thread due to some major considerations I wanted with the project. I had to do that because I was already becoming disinterested in the project. I would suggest reading it to get a better idea of what's going on.

Moving forward, here we have a preview of Foresta Maestosa. This level is an experiment with using the bubble enemies as a means of obstructing your paths and making sure you time your jumps properly. I'm still trying to figure out how to do that properly.

Thanks for being patient!

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I like what I see so far. This has a lot of personality and is bound to be the funnest hack to play. Gives me The Treasure Hunt vibes.

The forest is also nice, though make sure to add falling platforms and other stuff so you have enough reaction time to dodge the bubbles. Keep it up!

I really like what you're doing and I like that you're taking your time to really focus and think this hack through instead of just making things and becoming bored with it.

Originally posted by Katerpie

I like what I see so far. This has a lot of personality and is bound to be the funnest hack to play. Gives me The Treasure Hunt vibes.

The forest is also nice, though make sure to add falling platforms and other stuff so you have enough reaction time to dodge the bubbles. Keep it up!

Thanks! Actually means a lot to mean, I've always been a huge fan of that thing, and it sort of was my basis for level design in a SMW hack. I'm definitely trying to look into how to figure out an indicator that wouldn't make the obstacles too obvious or too hard to predict. It's one of the reasons why I would also love to implement a patch to disable the L/R scroll, because it could break the gimmick entirely. It's something I have down in my notes. ;)

Originally posted by Ninja Boy

I really like what you're doing and I like that you're taking your time to really focus and think this hack through instead of just making things and becoming bored with it.

Thanks! Yeah, it's just something that I'm wanting to take one step at a time. I'm not making it for some sort of popularity thing, it's just something that I do to pass the time. Some days, that goal kind of flip flops (Much like the world right now), but the whole point is to have fun and not get so into yourself that you become an ego-maniac.

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This seems actually pretty good. I like the design a lot and every setup seems to be well thought. I'm actually very interested in see how this goes forward.