Last seen in 2019, SMW Central presents another Overworld Design Contest! I'm Tahixham, and I'll be looking after you all during this contest.
We're keeping this simple again this year, and we feel 2019's contest format worked well. So, here is everything you need to know to enter this year's contest:
Rules
• You can use any resources you want. There are no restrictions on graphics, ASM, etc.*
• You may work with a partner.
• In the spirit of this being a timed contest, entries must be made within the participation period. Therefore, simply submitting your full hack that has an overworld as an entry does not count and will be disqualified.
• Your submission must be anonymous. Don't add your name anywhere.
* [2021/05/11] Should you wish to use the MSU-1 chip in your entry, you do so at your own risk. Your entry should work "out of the box" if you use this enhancement. See this post for further info.
* [2021/05/16] Do not share screenshots of your entry in this thread.
Guidelines + Advice
• There are no restrictions on what you do, or don't do, with events. They're not required by any means, but if you feel you can do something cool with them, then go for it. If you do decide to use events, see about the Overworld Event Enable Menu Patch below.
• You don't have to use level names, but can if you want to.
• You don't have to edit the submaps, but if you feel you can do something cool with them, then go for it.
If you decide not to use events or level names, it won't negatively affect your score. However, if you do, their effectiveness will be judged alongside everything else.
Overworld Event Enable Menu Patch
That's a mouthful of a name. As with last time, you can use this patch which was kindly made by Erik in 2019 to quickly enable events. Usage is optional, but if your overworld does utilise events we strongly advise (or come up with another way to play through events in-game without going into levels) you use this patch, otherwise the judges will likely skim through your overworld in Lunar Magic instead.
Here is a guide on how to use the patch, since it requires a small bit of setting up.
* [2021/05/21] Koopster has made a better version of the patch here.
Judging + Scoring
We have four judges champing at the bit to judge your entries. As with all contests, they will be revealed once the submission period ends. If something goes wrong, we have someone ready to jump in as backup too!
Scoring is very much the same as last time, with two main categories. Below is a breakdown of their points value, and what will be considered in this category when judging.
General Design (40 Points)
• Functionality - Does the overworld work? Do the paths connect together? Does any placement of Switch Palaces, secret exits, bonuses, etc, make sense?
• Connectivity - Do the warps and worlds work well together? Is there a logical sense of progression?
• Events (if used) - Do they benefit the overworld created? Do they cause any substantial change to the elements of the overworld?
Aesthetics (60 Points)
• Visuals - Do the palettes work well together? Are decorations present and used well? Do the graphics used clash or fit well together?
• Shaping - Does the overworld look interesting? Does the terrain have varied and interesting shapes? Is there any cutoff?
• Atmosphere - Does the music used fit the world? Does the overworld accurately convey the emotion it sets out to (ie, does the Beach world make you feel like you're on a beach)? Do the decorations contribute to the atmosphere?
• Perspective - Does the overworld overall work as an actual space? Is the perspective of the terrain all harmonious?
• Level Names (if used) - Do they work towards the theme of the world?
Both categories will then be combined into a total of 100 points!
Prizes
Trophies are of course available to our winners and participants!
And for those lucky top three, you will win some...
An amazing video game code from SMW Central's legendary video game code list (subjective opinion, you're free to make your own opinion when you make it to the top three of the contest).
Submission Guidelines + Deadline
Please submit a BPS file in this thread by
To make it easy, here's a handy little timer counting down towards the deadline:
* [2021/06/13] Deadline has been extended by one week (now to 27th June), due to a wealth of people asking.
If you want to make an update to your entry after submitting it, edit your existing post. Don't make a new post.
Remember, this thread is for submissions only! For discussion and questions on the contest, please use the discussion thread. We also have #overworld2021-discussion and #overworld2021-showoff on our Discord server for you, too!
