The 3rd Annual Kaizo Level Design Contest
Here we are, at the 3rd Annual Kaizo Level Design Contest! I, Ultimaximus, will be your host once again, this time joined by Alexander as co-host. This year, we're aiming for something bigger to present at the finale of the competition than last year's TAS of every level entry. Instead, we're aiming for a Kaizo collaboration hack compiled entirely from this year's entries! Of course, this will require a few restrictions on levels that want to be in the collab, for understandable reasons.
Entering the collab will be optional, though highly recommended. All entries will be considered to be entered into the collab unless otherwise stated, and some entries may be exempt from the collab at host discretion, to ensure quality levels. Additionally, we will be enforcing bsnes compatibility (more details later), and we are using last year's system of Creativity and Difficulty categories that you may enter.
The contest will be open for 1 month as last time, submissions must be posted to in this thread. You are free to privately PM an entry to either host for whatever reason, though this is not recommended. All entries must be posted in My Files. If you want your entry in the collab, you must post in the sign-up thread detailed later.
DEADLINE:
The deadline for submitted entries will be
RULES:
The rules are as follows:
- All submissions must be in the form of an IPS patch
- For instructions on creating an IPS Patch, check the F.A.Q.
- The category you are entering must be stated when you post the level
- If the category is not stated, it will be entered into the "Creative" category by default, and points deducted in "Understanding"
- You must state whether or not you want your entry in the collab when you post your entry. Otherwise, it will be assumed that you want it in
- You may participate in both categories, but not with the same level
- All entries must be possible to complete
- Entries must be compatible with the SNES or bsnes. See details later in this post
- After the deadline, updates will only be excused if they are to fix game-breaking errors
- You may or may not be informed of game-breaking issues, so be sure to test your level and patch thoroughly
- If your entry requires an update, and you were informed of this by a judge, points will be deducted
- The term "game-breaking" refers to anything that severely hampers playability. This includes freezing, crashing, and corrupt patches, as well as errors that involve impossible levels, massive unintended shortcuts that require little effort (such as leaving in test doors, but does not include wall-jumping), unintended consequences, etc.
- Entries will not be downloaded until the deadline has been reached, so your link must be working at that time
- Do not lock your entry
- Only one level may be entered into the contest per category
- You are free to use any material in your hack as long as you have the permission to use such content
- Submitted content on SMWC is free to be used
- Level numbers, secondary exits, ExGFX slots, sprites, blocks, music/samples, MAP16, patches, and LevelASM must be signed up for in the proper thread if you are entering the collab
- Your level may contain no more than 2 exits.
- The level to be judged must be easily accessible and obvious on the OverWorld
- Entries must specify which level is to be judged
- If you are entering the collab, switch palaces are forbidden.
Failure to comply with these rules will result in deduction of points in the "Understanding" section, or a disqualification if severe (such as a corrupt patch, impossibility, or a ROM).
GUIDELINES:
These are the guidelines which you will be judged by:
- "Creativity" Category
- Creativity (15): Did the entry display creativity? Did it display original tricks, and put new spins on old ones, or blatantly used unoriginal tricks?
- Difficulty (10): Was the difficulty just right? Challenging enough to be difficult, but not agonizing? Was there a smooth and consistent difficulty level throughout the entry?
- Fun (10): Was the entry fun to play through, or just an uninteresting bore?
- Appeal (10): Was the entry visually appealing? Were there any glitched graphics, cutoff, or floating & stacked munchers? Did the music add to the mood of the entry, and fit well?
- Understanding (5): Did the entry display understanding of all the rules?
- Collab (Yes/No): If proposed for the collab, should it be accepted?
- "Difficulty" Category
- Difficulty (15): Was the difficulty just right? Very hard and challenging, but not excessively? Was there a smooth and consistent difficulty level throughout the entry?
- Creativity (10): Did the entry display creativity? Did it display original tricks, and put new spins on old ones, or blatantly used unoriginal tricks?
- Fun (10): Was the entry fun to play through, or just an uninteresting bore?
- Appeal (10): Was the entry visually appealing? Were there any glitched graphics, cutoff, or floating & stacked munchers? Did the music add to the mood of the entry, and fit well?
- Understanding (5): Did the entry display understanding of all the rules?
- Collab (Yes/No): If proposed for the collab, should it be accepted?
Just to clarify, glitches are allowed, but could lower score in the "Difficulty" section of the "Creative" category. It also depends on the type of glitch used. For example, the "Big Mario in Small Gap" glitch will probably not lower points in the "Difficulty" section. Just make sure that the glitch is easy to pull off and widely known. If you must, put the information in a message block. If it's an "insane" glitch like "Walljumping" though, it will lower points regardless of the category you've entered, since only a small margin of people can walljump with some ease (it is judge's discretion as to which section to deduct, and for how many points). If you still are not sure which glitches could lower your score, just post a question here.
Pit levels will not be allowed in either category; cheap tricks and artificial difficulty will result in deduction of points.
It was decided that hacks must be compatible with the Super Nintendo. However, since most people do not own a flash cart to test their hacks on, bsnes will be used in substitution. Note that most recent versions of bsnes use the "phoenix" GUI, which requires no header on your ROM and a .sfc extension. Since Lunar Magic automatically adds a header, this may be problematic, so you are free to use the bsnes v070 in the Tools section or the bsnes v071 in my signature instead (download the entire folder). These versions use the old "Qt" GUI which is feature-rich and allows .smc extensions and ROM headers.
Although bsnes has a reputation for being very slow, this is because of the level of accuracy it attains, which is CPU intensive. However, these versions have a new "core" system, in which there is a Performance core which sacrifices a small degree of accuracy for faster speeds (note that you must restart bsnes for core changes to take effect), which may be enough to get it running full speed on slower computers (byuu has run it full speed on an Atom netbook). This does not mean you have to play your hack with bsnes whenever you test it, you only have to make sure it runs properly on it.
If using bsnes proves too troublesome, you could use Snes9X v1.52 or v1.53, which I believe uses the same audio core as bsnes, I am not entirely sure though.
99% of compatibility problems arise from the use of AddMusic, therefore you will have to use HuFlungDu's Addmusic (or possibly AddMusicM). Details and help is available in HFD's AddMusic thread, as well as Kaijyuu's SNES compatibility thread, but help will be available in this forum as well.
Alexander and I will be leading a collaboration hack using the levels entered into this contest. Participation is optional. The hack will be compatible with the SNES/bsnes, though your entry must be compatible as well even if you are not participating. Level numbers, secondary exits, ExGFX slots, sprites, blocks, music/samples, MAP16, patches, and LevelASM will require sign-ups.
...and that's that! To review, the entries are due by the
Official Userbar:
...actually we don't have a userbar this year. Feel free to make one though, one may be adopted as the official one.
