[?][?][?] SMB-TWSS (SS)

Super Mario Bros.
The Wicked Star Story

Information
Super Mario Bros. - The Wicked Star Story is the project I've been working on ever since I first became interested in this ROM modification scene.

I had originally intended to have a demo prepared for SMWC3 May 2009, but I was unable to get a product finished in time. With luck, though, I should have something ready soon. Until then, this thread is where I will post updates and such.

For the time being, I wanted to go ahead and show the progress I've made so far with some of the earlier levels. Several months ago, I decided to reboot my hack completely by starting with a clean, fresh ROM and getting better organization from the start. I think if you compare what I have below with what my project used to look like, there are some pretty clear differences.

Credits
I've been trying hard to keep track of all of the people who have assisted me with this project, but I am sure that I am forgetting several people. If your name is not on the list below and you know it should be, please send me a PM so we can get that fixed. I could not have done this without any of the following people.

..., Anikiti, Atma, AtomicShroom, BD132, Bio, Bloodstar, Blue Rabbit, Boingboingsplat, Broozer, BusterBeetle, Buu-Huu, Carol, Davros, Delmaru, Dispari Scuro, Dotsarecool, edit1754, Ersanio, FPI, Ghettoyouth, Golden Yoshi, heisanevilgenius, HuFlungDu, Icegoom, Iceguy, Ice Man, imamelia, InvisibleCoinBlock, Ixtab, Jimmy52905, Kaeru, Karasz, KilloZapit, Kyoseron, Mattrizzle, MidiGuy, mikeyk, MiOr, Nameless, Nanashi-SW, Pac, Romi, Roy, Schwa, Shigeru Miyamoto, Shy-Hi, smkdan, SNN, Soul2Limbo, Supertails, SWR, Techokami, WhiteYoshiEgg, xIque, YoshiCookieZeus

The Game
Super Mario Bros. - The Wicked Star Story is a game based largely around the games Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, and 3, with elements of the later games thrown in for fun. I've tried my best to combine good level design with appealing graphics and fun gameplay, along with a story that will unravel as the adventure continues.

The Mario Bros. wake up one morning and receive a letter from Princess Peach. Yoshi Island is under attack by an army of Shy Guys. At the same time, Goombas and Koopa Troopas are roaming Toad Road in the Mushroom Kingdom. Once again, Peach calls on the Mario Bros. to save the day. Meanwhile, something is wrong with the night sky - it just doesn't look right anymore. Could these strange incidents all be connected somehow? Only time will tell...

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[?] Miscellaneous Helpful Hints
If I moderated your hack, there was apparently a 90 percent chance it was rejected.

This hack looks really nice, I like the SMAS style and prahics, it goes together nicely!
Only one thing:



The shading of the water is wierd, shouldn't the water that is below the ground be dark?

I questioned that too, actually. I'm not sure what is right, really. The idea I was going with here was that you can see the ground through the water, so it appears lighter, but that might not make much sense. I'd love to hear what other people think, though. Maybe I'll cross-post this in screenshots for opinions. Thanks for reminding me.

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[?] Miscellaneous Helpful Hints
If I moderated your hack, there was apparently a 90 percent chance it was rejected.

This is looking pretty good. I can't wait to play this! You've come a long way since your last thread. Keep up the good work

Andy, your hack has surely changed A LOT since a while back. These screenshots really caught my attention - everything's so colorful and appealing. Your levels seem to be quite fun, as well, which is a plus.

Keep up the excellent work, I look forward to seeing more from this awesome project of yours!

Thanks for the positive feedback, everyone!


You guys were right; this looks much better:

Thanks for pointing it out and having me fix it.


That will be the SMB3 Luigi, eventually, once I finish his graphics.


The intro screen BG with Peach's castle is from MPA, like you guessed. Peach's castle on the OW and the little toad houses were custom, but I based the little houses off of the platforms from SMB2J. The rest of the OW is a mix of SMB Deluxe for the GBC (16-bit-itized), SMB3, SMW and some custom alterations.

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[?] Miscellaneous Helpful Hints
If I moderated your hack, there was apparently a 90 percent chance it was rejected.

Here's a starry BG I made a bit ago by combining random YI tilesets with WhiteYoshiEgg's fake HDMA effects:

Starry Night YI-Style

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[?] Miscellaneous Helpful Hints
If I moderated your hack, there was apparently a 90 percent chance it was rejected.

WOW This level looks so nice! Only compliant: WTF the badwith XD

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My deviantART
My Youtube channel
My avatar
Watch, i made a Super Mario 64 level

Oh...so...colorful...
This looks great andy! Also, this was what you had me write music for oh so long ago?

Awesome, I contributed again

Definitely not bad at all! It's actually rather surprising to see such a good-looking background made of small fragments of other BGs - really nice job there! Your level also looks rather nice, though I reckon you would be interested in adding more enemies to it (you should already be aware of this, though... ).

Also... glad to see so many updates of your hack lately - this used to be my favorite WIP hack a while back, and I'm guessing it will re-gain its spot in my current-favorite-WIP-hacks-list if you keep up the GREAT work. ^_^

Quite a nice-looking hack you've got here. Your graphical choices seem well thought out, and attribute to a cool cartoony feel. I like the inclusion of all the Toads as well, especially how the one Toad is holding the midway flag. :3

Question...does the end flagpole act like or similar to the flagpole in SMB? I ask because in the first flagpole screen, the flag is raised, but in the next, it's lowered. How exactly does it work?

I love the look of this game. You wisely combined elements from Yoshi's Island and Super Mario Bros 3. without it looking like a silly mess of ExGFX. I also like that background, from which level were the stars from?

I don't like the way Mario/Luigi looks. You should fix the face tilemap.

So, if you were playing this level, and you came across this gray thing in the middle of this picture, what would you guess it is?


Yep! Thanks so much for your help! That's why you're in the credits!


Thanks - I tend to think YI doesn't blend well with other games because of the crayon-y nature of the graphics, but I've found some that I like without going too far out of my graphical aesthetic. The stars in the BG are from the goony constellation in the background of the battle with Raphael The Raven.

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[?] Miscellaneous Helpful Hints
If I moderated your hack, there was apparently a 90 percent chance it was rejected.

That gray platform looks like it either falls or crashes you up into the top?

PLOT TWIST!


It's the falling platform. However, I actually ended up going back to what it was like before. SMB3 wood blocks seem a little more YI than steel elevators.


Also, I finally made my SMB2 Veggies look decent.
(see previous horrible palette)

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[?] Miscellaneous Helpful Hints
If I moderated your hack, there was apparently a 90 percent chance it was rejected.

Heh...loving the expression on Yoshette. It's great to see you adding emotion to your characters. Also, Kamek always seems to be up to no good. :\

One thing I noticed...do you plan on redrawing the rest of your status bar text? The reason I ask is because currently, the scribbly Mario text is inconsistent with the neatness of the rest of the text.

All else is looking well. Good work.