This thread will be to keep track of my progress with learning LM and other tools whilst building a very lite/beginner kaizo hack.

As of now there's one level in progress and it needs some work as it looks like this:




I'm pretty happy with the flow as an opening beginner level but I do have a couple of issues. Currently, the second flying grey turnblocks won't spawn if one-shotting the level as the first ones stay alive. So I either need to work out how to kill that 1st sprite or redesign that area running up to the end.

Things I have learned
- Lunar Magic BASICS
- How to add asm patches (quick retry etc.)
- How to import music
- How to import exgfx & use YY-CHR (I added a background but wasn't happy with it so going to find something more appropriate)


Things I need to learn ASAP
- Importing blocks and sprites.
- How to make 2 ended/same screen pipes (eg. a short pipe Mario can go up and down to avoid an enemy).

You should remove that winged turn block and replace it with a falling platform instead. As it turns out, it's not really that useful since you're only using it to get past a pit.

That said, you're off to a great start! Your level stems more toward the easier side, but that's to be expected for a stage 1. As a(nother) piece of criticism, those moons shouldn't be easier to collect as a "free" reward. Maybe consider removing that note block afterwards and adding more koopas, too. Also, try not to excessively cram tons of koopas into enclosed spaces if your purpose is just for decoration.

Good luck with your project!

Yeah it's definitely aimed at the very easiest level of Kaizo, it's intended as a beginner/introductory hack.

Is there a reason for aiming against decoration? They aren't going anywhere near sprite limit or causing any distraction.

One of my main concerns was sprite limit after all. You can decorate your level however you want, so long as it doesn't become too cumbersome and distracting.

Things I have learned

How to import blocks & sprites
Way more about gfx & map16


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So I've finished the first draft of the first level to a place where I'm fairly happy with it being a fun, easy intro and been working on two other levels, one of which I love (but sent me into a spiral of misunderstanding with MAP16) and one which I hate (but it may be saveable... or it might just end up in the trash.

Level 1

1st version finished, it looks like this now:




Level 2

Not necessarily going to be the second level but second wip. This is the one I hate and have left on the side at the moment. It's based around sumo bros and a disco shell ride... but honestly it looks odd and it's janky as all hell at the moment. Some pics:




Level 3

This level is going a long well, it's only about 50% done but I'm liking the Rex gimmick. It uses the Rex Manipulation block from the site, huge thanks for that.

I did have some real troubles with my conceptualizing how exgfx, the slots and MAP16 all work together whilst importing the background on this one which led to me burning a copy of the level and going back to a backup... def need a better understanding there.

So here's how it looks atm:

The second level doesn't look that bad, though I (viewer) can't see where's the jankiness you're spotting just from the images alone.

As for the third level, not many people use the manipulation block legitimately, so props to that. I suggest recoloring the white outlines of those blocks just so they don't blend too hard with the background. Also, watch out for the repetitiveness, structurally speaking.

Cheers dude, I appreciate the feedback. Yeah I think the second level probably can be dejanked and made interesting.

Recoloring the block seems like a good idea, I also didn't want people to think it was solid though, and yeah I see what you mean about the repetitiveness but it does change, that's kinda the intro to the block. I can see why others don't use it as much, Rex's can be a little slow in their default form. I'm tempted to use the deconstructed versions of them and play with the speed but maybe not.