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How do You Use Secret Exits

So a while back I was pondering the idea of secret exits, and their purpose in hacks. Of course, the extra bonus challenge of discovering the secret or solving the puzzle to receive the secret exit is fun in itself, but besides that minute amount of pleasure what else do we get from secret exits? Bonus levels? Paths to skip other levels? But the most important question here is; are they really worth it?

I'll explain what it means to me. I like to 100% games usually, perfect every level and achieve every suggested goal in the game, so usually I attempt to find all the secret exits in a hack. But at the same time I can be apathetic, and to be honest, usually my first goal is get to the end of the world and then go back to find all the secrets. This can really defeat the purpose of the secret allowing you to skip levels, unless you either have the will to find all exits first, or if the leap in levels is tremendous enough that no matter where you are in the hack it will be beneficial.

When going through levels with secret exits, how often do you really attempt to find the secret exit in the level, before finding the normal exit? If it skips a level, is it really a good advantage if you don't bother finding it in the first playthrough? In this thread, discuss what your stance is on secret exits, both in the designing of them, and how you behave around them when playing through other hacks.

For me, I really think that secret exits should lead to bonus challenges, bonus levels for that matter. With this way, no matter what the path of the player is (doing the entire world and then going back to find stuff, or the likes) they will always receive some sort of interesting bonus award, and a feeling of accomplishment. Someone else may have completely different opinions on secret exits, so that is why I want to hear you voice your opinions.
Hmm. . . not sure what to say so I'll just stop talking. . .

To put it bluntly, secret exits are the entire point of SMW for me.

Many people tout "exploration." Personally, I don't much like exploring huge levels. I do however, LOVE exploring overworlds. Seeing the world evolve, finding new places to explore, and grabbing hidden goodies is the reason I play the game.


Here are the reasons why I think a non-linear overworld is more important than non-linear levels:

1) Secret exits count as things you "earn." Flips that pleasure center in the brain for those of us who are completionists.
2) If you look at the game in its entire scope, the overworld is a glorified menu. The game itself is in the levels. This means that finding exits serve as checkpoints. Finding an exit means you have another point in which to continue the game (the next level).
3) Combined with #2, this means your game is non-linear even if each individual level is. The overworld splits the game into "bite sized" chunks: the levels. This makes exploration MUCH more manageable, as even though you have multiple paths to go down, you don't have the possibility of getting lost.


My suggestion is to mentally tear out the overworld and think of each level as part of a whole. Think of it as if Level 1 transitions into Level 2 without interruption. Then the exits themselves just serve as points where you can leave off and come back later, and giving secret ones means your world becomes non-linear.
I don't agree that secrets should always be seen as "bonuses" as much as alternate paths. Sure, there are times when a bonus area in a level or a shortcut from a secret exit make sense, but I'm more interested in discovering a different route. You play Level A to the normal exit, go through Level B1 and get to Level C. Or, you discover the secret exit in Level A, go through an entirely different Level B2, then Level C. Neither route is necessarily faster; they just include different content. If you have several divergent paths in a hack, you have people completing them in different ways.

For example, the indie game One Chance is about making several decisions with different outcomes, but once you finish the game, you're locked out and can never play it again. Thus it inspires a dialogue on the unique experience each player had and the paths they took. The difference with hacks is that people can replay and discover segments they missed if they want. Sometimes the player will just blaze through and never discover the alternate route. Other times people want to go back, especially if you have good level design. Either way, it's nice to make a hack that doesn't deliver the same experience for every person. In SMW, there were folks that took the high path through Vanilla Fortress and those that took the lower path.
I agree with Supertails. My favorite type of secret exit is where it's set up like with Donut Plains 1's secret exit- it's an alternate path, sure, but there's still some content (Donut Secret 1, and consequently the whole secret area you can get to from there) to reward you if you find it after the main exit. Switch palaces just beg to be placed past a secret exit, as well.

Secret exits that are just straight shortcuts have their place, too, though. It gives someone replaying the game an option- do I follow the normal path, or try to race through in record time? Obviously, this is more of a concern to people making real games, where replay value tends to be higher than with hacks.

One cool idea, which I haven't seen often, is to use the 'secret' exit as simply another exit. In The Tale of Elementia, for instance (Hi, Supertails!), there's a level presented as a crossroads. A message block tells you that one path will lead to one route through the world, while the other leads to another route. Neither is secret, they're just two equal options. Keytastrophe has something similar, where you visit one level twice- the second time you've unlocked an ability that lets you find the other exit and continue the world.

Just my overanalyzed two cents.
This is an interesting way:
1. Complete world N
2. Access switch palace after completing world N
3. Secret exit to a certain level is not hidden, instead it requires a switch palace (I guess this means it is not a "secret" exit, just an alternate exit)
4. Secret exit leads to world N+1

Alternatively, I would use it as a shortcut, alternate path, or to a bonus level. I don't mind having required secret exits, since SMW cannot be completed without getting at least 2 secret exits. However, I would like to make it so that the final special world stage (aka the true final level) cannot be entered unless you have every other exit in the game. This way, completing this final special stage will automatically mean 100% completion.
don't click this link...
Originally posted by mathelete
This is an interesting way:
1. Complete world N
2. Access switch palace after completing world N
3. Secret exit to a certain level is not hidden, instead it requires a switch palace (I guess this means it is not a "secret" exit, just an alternate exit)
4. Secret exit leads to world N+1

I'm actually doing that in my main hack. The main difference is the switch palace is in World 5, which is behind World 1, and the "Secret" exit is in world 4, which is past worlds 2 and 3
Let's milk Sunny Milk. Then she'll have enough money to fund Sunny Milk Real Estate.
Everypony's digging with a shovel
Here's an idea. have level X split off into two, one way be the regular way and one way be the "secret" way, both ways have to be traveled to move on to the next level. I'm actually doing this. I discovered the tactic from a mistake I made one time with events, but think about it: It would be a pretty rad experience :)


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I am a little of both. Sometimes, I prefer unlocking new levels with secret exits. It's rewarding to find a challenging secret exit and unlock a level afterwards. I feel that it's the whole point of what SMW was, originally. That said though, I don't think that hackers should be compelled to add secret exits if they do not want to. There are other ways of offering non-linearity too, by having non linear level design.

Basically, it depends. I prefer both methods if they are done correctly. The level design means more to me than the amount (or lack of) secret exits.