8192 (now with updated goodness)

EDIT: EDITS ARE MADE IN THE FORM OF STRIKETHROUGHS AND CAPS LOCK-Y GOODNESS.

Well, seeing as it's C3, I figured I'd quietly start a thread about a hack I've been working on for a while. It's my second, and seeing how my first one turned out, I don't expect it to go anywhere. However, I will try on it.

Anyway, it's called 2^13. (This is taken from the level names as they are increasing powers of 2, and they get exponentially [that was a pun] harder throughout the hack.) It has 13 (no wai) real levels (besides the two secret ones and the Yoshi House/Tutorial level) and a total of 17 exits. The founding idea was that (nearly) every level exited on a key+keyhole exit. It is somewhat PRETTY DAMN chocolate, as it has:

custom blocks

(very) minor gfx edits

clever map16

EXGFX

CUSTOM MUSIC

As of right now, I have finished the title screen, the overworld, the secret levels, Yoshi's House, the tutorial, mostly everything besides the levels themselves. However, I do have some evil, puzzlish plans.

Here's some screens of what I do have right now. (Hover the mouse on the screenshots for captions.)







Please excuse the lack of variety in the images: there is no level content other than this to display besides the secret levels, and they would no longer be secret.

If you want to submit a level idea you want to share, beta-test, suggest something else, or give me a good reason to put your name in the credits, let me know. Constructive critism is also appreciated.

And no, no userbar (as of now). Updates will probably NOT be weekly.

TL;DR mario hack + math + pics.

I'll put up what I have as an IPS patch as soon as I figure out what I'm doing with the blocks and the tutorial level. Responses:

@Midnight Mist: Another betatester would be excellent. Glad to have you help.

@mockingod: The pawprint is gone and the yellow vine is actually something I hadn't thought of. Thanks.

The blue munchers are supposed to be safe to step on, since it would be requiring Yoshi without them there. BUT I don't want to touch the palettes... Any ideas?

@2taco: I planned for that. It doesn't actually look too bad in the ending, and it's optional either way. The ending doesn't play on the final stage, but at the last secret one. (I was also planning drastically changing this level, however still having the same ending, making it correspond in a cool way.)

For the message blocks, only the Hurt and Kill (from BT's binary set. Oh ho, nostalgia.) blocks have their own message block, the rest are harmless and are required to be used to beat the tutorial level.

@Brad172: It's semi-puzzle. Generally, no. One or two levels may contain (basic) shelljumps and the like, but nothing as hard (or contrived) as Kaizo or Item Abuse.

@moltensnow: Why thank you. </sarcasm>

That aside, custom music: yes or no? I patched MORE.asm already because I was going to, but I can't seem to find nice music, so I'll open this up to the public.

Alright. The IPS is in my files-storage thingy. I'm currently working on the level design of level 1 (more below) and figuring out how I'll ExAnimate the ON/OFF blocks.

First tidbits (scraps, rather) of the storyline:
- INTRO (quoted): Mario has severe head trauma (!), and dreams of a 3D world. He goes on a quest to find it. SPOILER- HE DOESN'T.
- Level 1: Him getting to (not evil) Charlie's plane, which will see him into enemy territory.
- Level 2: Ninja-power-action though the forest.
- Level 3: Underground detour due to illegal cement dumping.
...And that's it for now. Also, every level will have a (non-ASM, thankfully) gimmick, such as level 2 will see Mario climbing trees and jumping from branch to branch, ninja-style. Again, suggestions welcome, ESPECIALLY in this area of the hack.

The first level itself will be a puzzle level with a surprising (hopefully) and well-working (even more hopefully) gimmick: you get to choose on of six items (a bob-omb, blue P-Switch, springboard, mushroom, shell, or baby Yoshi) to take with you into the puzzle. No, the puzzle will not be different for each, but rather just will have multiple paths to the same goal. Also, some items will be harder (yet more rewarding) to complete it with. The other levels, you'll have to wait for.

@MarioAwesomeness: Great, and I will. That makes two.

@OGS93: Thanks. {see also @Spud}

@Kaizoman666: Half-right. The Koopas are walking on Mario-Only blocks, featured with their counterpart, the Sprite-Only blocks. (Yes, that's right, smkdan's (relatively) ancient BlockTool binaries). However, the ones in the last image are, and they will be ExAnimated at one point or another.

@Spud Alpha: I guess I should've clarified. I meant no good music I knew and liked as of right now. Which, to be fair, is only really most Mario tunes and few other tracks from Nintendo games. (I'm somewhat of a n00b, music-wise.) Yes, I do have some of worldpeace's ports and select other Addmusic paraphernalia. Yes, I'm open to suggestions. I just need to find the time to insert and try out the music before I consider it chosen.

I shall conclude by saying very likely no custom palettes, nor much GFX/ExGFX (besides the aforementioned ON/OFF ExAnimation).

See you next week. (Or likely the week after, with my level of commitment #w{})

{MOUSEOVER TEXT EDITION}

OH THAT'S RIGHT, I have a neglected thread to post in. Hey guys.

What's been eating up most of my time (besides IRL) is other SMWC commitment shenanigans, and the problems of aesthetics and custom music. The levels are still coming along, just slowly.

I have decided to add in some ExGFX and stuff so that my hack will look nice looking. Still keeping the vanilla GFX, (and using them, for that matter,) but now with ExGFX and ExAnimation goodness.

On the topic of custom music, I have a stupid question. If addmusic requires your SMW ROM to be expanded to 1MB, will it accept more and larger songs if expanded to a larger size, eg: 2 or 4MB? (Yes, this means I am going to add in custom music. Any suggestions/requests?)

REPLIES:

@phenolatukas: I have no idea how to port. I mostly just hoard random files that sound like they'll sound good. I have my OW music picked out already, but that's about it.

@Metalstriker: Those are Mario-only/Sprite-only blocks. This is the best GFX idea I have for it. Any suggestions?

Next half-poll thingy: Between 1 and 10, (1 being not at all, 10 being RIGHT NOW!) how necessary is it for me to make this hack a userbar?

I hope that next time, this thread won't slide down 4 pages before I post again. I assume it will, though