Fishing Season 2 (First beta wave)

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Fishing Season 2 needs some beta testing.

Current lenght: 8 Levels
Difficulty: Easy? Normal? ?!

Fishing Season 2 dot zip

There are currently 8 levels to be tested, plus a power-up area.

Vital feedback I need:
- How much time spent playing (rough estimate will do)
- Did you have fun?

That's about it.
Here's a few screenshots?

(sorry for my bad english, i try to do my best)

MT THWIMP:

The level is not bad, but it lacks the decorations which gives a feeling of emptiness.
Also the atmosphere of the second part is quite special, for me the background should to change place because we go in a "cave".
Otherwise it's okay.

Mandatory minecart

I like this level, the idea is good but I'm not a fan.
Sometimes it accelerates and slows down without really any particular reason. A speedometer or an alert should be added in order to know when this will change.
There is a lack of decoration again.

Ballon Fight

I did not understand the usefulness of the first part a kind of Tubular remake but that serves no purpose. Why did not you put the "real" level directly?
For the level it is nice, rather original and fun but quite hard.

Quillquarrel Quarry

I like this level. Original, though a bit repetitive.
I find the generators of Spiny are rather violent it is sometimes difficult to avoid them.
Except that, the level is quite nice.

When In doubt ...

The first part lacks of work, it's rather repetitive is not fun to play.
Besides, the palette of the background is not very pretty.
The second part is more fun but a bit difficult because the wings are quite complicated to take in hand.

Launchpad LakeSide

The level is not bad, but lack of decorations there is almost no block or other small decorations like Bushs or any other.
Also there are some Blind Jump like this (in this case the one is not very big) or this one.
Aside from that it's okay.

Waterfall site

The level is nice, but quite complicated some jumps require a wait time, so I find that the Mega Man scrolling is not too necessary here, to be honest they annoy me.
The second part rather fun to play, however the pallets of these mushrooms are really not very pretty also I find that the water that serves as decor makes CUT-OFF.

Lava Discriminates?

A rather special level, already I do not like the idea of putting lava in a forest is rather odd.
But the idea of the level is rather nice, it is a shame that the third part lacks of works, it is repetitive and flat.
The level could have been better.

The global difficulty is Normal
Playing time: ~1h15 (i don't using save-states)
Did you have fun: A Little.

Overall, the hack to interesting ideas and I like the new player, for me the hack lack of aesthetics is generally uninspired and sometimes some pallets are quite bizarre.
Also on the level design it is sometimes lacks of work, there are some repetitivities quite often and some ecstatic blatants.

The hack have some potential. Good luck for the final version, I hope this have helped you!

5.25/10

Layout by Koopster

obligatory minecart: the jump sound is often high pitched and distorted. this level is rather short, and the only interesting obstacles are the jumping piranhas and the jumping spinies. it's a bit of an uneventful level, altho this being earlier game and then this mechanic returning later on in a more challenging and interesting form could be cool.

mt thwimp: camera jumps up a bit when you respawn at the midpoint. while not the biggest deal, it's a bit unpolished. you could just have the pipe by the midpoint and everything lower by a few tiles. this seems overlooked. otherwise it's a fun level with some wonky bg palettes.

balloon fight: nancy's graphics fuck up when she gets hit while in p-balloon form. for a single frame she looks like this. i'm not really sure what the point of the tubular part is. i get the joke of "oh you think it's tubular but wait its not", but it's kind of confusing how it expects the player to get hit in order to proceed to the actual level, rather than just having, say, a wall of teleportation blocks very early on that lets the player know directly that it's a joke. the vertical section is neat, pretty fun. however, the second half is rather boring and uninspired, and i think would benefit heavily from following in suit from the first half. have the mega-man style scrolling, but horizontally. have interesting obstacles to avoid, not just static sparks floating in the air. also, im not sure why nancy slides to the left with the autoscroll while on ground, rather than sticking naturally to it. plus, when you end the level it has nancy trying desperately to walk to the right while being pushed both by this force that pushes her left and the screen. i'm sure you can find a way to have nancy walk left or right depending on which direction she hits the goal or on a per level basis or something

quillquarrel quarry: the spinies i think rotate a bit slow for how fast they genuinely move. i'd look into exanimating them to move quicker. also, i was caught off guard by the spiny that falls down the hole. naturally i'd expect it to just fall, but instead it pops right out and hits me. this is kind of a not great way to display that these things bounce like a real motherfucker. i understand that these spinies have pre-set paths, but they feel about as annoying to deal with as footballs do. they fly everywhere and are often times speeding pretty fast that they become really annoying to deal with. i'm just not sure why a spiny shell of all things would bounce so unpredictably. you have them interacting with slopes and tile 100 to make them even harder to accurately predict, and then on top of everything i also often got phased through them when spinjumping on them. the classic "sprite moving vertically fast enough to murder you anyways" glitch.

i feel like i had no control in this situation:

overall i'm not a fan of this level whatsoever. i just feel like these sprites are really risky to use given how chaotically and quick they move, and sections become harder to parse once they bounce off of walls and slopes and shit. i'd suggest having ones that go straight left and ones that bounce, and then have them differentiated by color. on top of this i'd also have them a little bit slower.

when in doubt...: man this bg palettes is pretty awful. definitely needs changing. there doesnt seem to be much of a point to have a vine leading up to a p-switch when you can just have that block spawn the p-switch. there are no obstacles up here to avoid, nor any large reward of bonus coins or dragon coins or anything. the weird pyramid of coin blocks looks odd, too. i get it hides a secret exit, but for a recurring theme throughout the first half it's pretty ugly. this setup is awkward, as the hammer bro jumps down here and gives me no good way to shoot it with fire without getting hit by a hammer.

waterfall site: the cement blocks in the beginning are miscolored. also, the waterfall isnt the prettiest thing ever. i'd almost suggest either just going with the yi waterfalls or like, the smas smb2 waterfalls. the fishbones arent very useful as an enemy, since they go by long before nancy even gets to them. the dirt in the second half is repeated oddly, and looks rather bad. not sure what the purpose of the introduction of grinders in the second half is: i'd maybe introduce them as an additional obstacle in the first half. in fact, this level also has the same issue as balloon fight i feel where the first half is much more interesting than the second half.

throughout this i noticed a few recurring elements. primarily, this hack so far suffers a lot from empty space. it takes nancy 2 screens to get to the first enemy in mt thwimp, and there feels like many other screens that are kind of empty or are just repeated setups (the hammer bros in the first half of when in doubt)

also wasnt a fan of the mario only blocks being glass blocks, especially since they act as tile 100. i forgot to check how long it took me, but it was probably about an hour. i think this needs quite a bit of work, still. right now, it feels kind of just like a testing zone for your miscellaneous sprites, where they become the focus of a level rather than a nice piece to make it a fun concise package. i think there's still a lot of work to do on this, personally. if youd like me to play future versions of this, hmu on the ol discord. or if you go through with the

collab

element of this, i might be interested in helping or playtesting it or something.

Time spent: 3 & half hours, although Hack was played at 1:00am.
Enjoyment: Some parts felt fun, other parts felt tedious.

Intro Screen
- The ground theme plays, instead of custom music or the default Intro theme.

Overworld
- The overworld feels empty & bland due to the lack of anything.

Bonus Game
- Upon completion of Bonus Game, a random note plays.

Levels:
---------

obligatory minecart:
- When completed, the animation from the original game still plays.
- Unlike every other level name, this one is in lowercase.
- Semi-rarely, when jumping, the pitch of the SFX will be incorrect.
- Using the Message Block sprite to stop the player, looks weird in the context of the level, maybe use an ExGFX to change it to a nicer looking graphic?
- Maybe reduce the amount of Golden 1-Ups at the end of the level, as it feels strange for a level to have that many extra lives in one level.
- Maybe add more obstacles, as the level feels 'empty' or lacklustre, due to the lack of enemies.

MT THWIMP:
- Not important, but grammatically, the name should be 'MT. THWIMP'.
- When you start the level from the mid-way point, the camera starts below, then scrolls up.
- Once the Lil' Sparky, in the second half of the level, leaves the screen via the one-block hole it starts to loop around the pipe. (See figure 1.)
- Another issue with that one-block hole is that it allows the player to kill themselves if they're big. This might be a problem as the hole does look somewhat intriguing. (See figure 1.)
- Despite being blue in the previous section, and all other maps, the life counter's colour changes from blue to red. (See figure 1 compared to figure 2.)
- There is a section in the first section that contains three cement blocks, (See figure 2.), in which the cement block stop the player falling in the hole. However, there is still a hole for the player to fall in. In fact, those blocks allow the player to just skip the jump, it appears to save the player from. So, maybe you should just remove them?
- Slightly further from the first stuck Lil' Sparky, is yet another Lil' Sparky suffering from Corner Syndrome, (See figure 3). I suggest making the entire platform solid, so it will circle around the platform.

TOP SECRET AREA:
- Nothing much to mention here, but the upper screen does not have symmetry.

BALLOON FIGHT:
- The P-Balloon's balloon graphic doesn't look quite right. Maybe make the balloon more obvious?
- The bonus message, if you get to end of the 'level' is full of W's for some reason.

QUILLQUARREL QUARRY:
- This level feels empty, it may be because the enemies feel too spaced out.
- On the flipside though, the spiny-like enemy that does appear, and everywhere, seem to fast. Could turn them down, just a little bit?
- Final thing, the Donkey Kong theme reference has a bit too short of a loop. Although, this isn't too much of an issue as it's a quick reference.

WHEN IN DOUBT...:
- The level seems almost like an ice level due to the palette.
- In the second section, there is a pointless hole (See figure 4.)

LAUNCHPAD LAKESIDE:
- Not much to say, one of the better levels. Maybe including arrow signs to indicate to enter the pipe at the end?
- However, when completing the level, if the player picked up the feather, the bottom half of the screen will be black, (See figure 5.)

WATERFALL SITE:
- Again, not much to say, although the Mushroom Platform's palette looks quite odd.

LAVA DISCRIMINATES?:
- Not bad, as things go, but compared to other levels, the difficulty curve on this one seems a bit steep.
- Apart from that, nothing much else to touch on...

Figures:
---------

Figure 1, the pipe of the second section of MT THWIMP.

Figure 2, Three cement blocks, almost, filling the hole.

Figure 3, Another stuck Lil' Sparky.

Figure 4, Pointless hole.

Figure 5, Half a black screen.

"Great work! Because this message is prerecorded, any observations related to your performance are speculation on our part. Please disregard any undeserved compliments."

Time spent: About 1 and a half hours.
Did I have fun?: I did have fun most of the time.

I will only judge the levels seeing as this is the first beta. The overworld is really bland and odd looking, but I can forgive it if it gets better with newer Betas. Nancy looks fairly good, but her P Balloon form is really awkward and also kinda glitchy like mentioned above.

Mt Thwimp
Graphics: Basic. Really basic. I mean, nothing is new here. The palettes are alright in the first half, but the second half is kinda ugly. No points awarded.
Music: Sounds alright, but it's really unfitting with the atmosphere of the level. Half a point awarded.
Gameplay: Really bland at some points, but enjoyable at others. The first half feels somewhat uninspired at some points, but the second half makes up for it with its fun level design. Half a point awarded.
Extra points: The gimmick in the second half with the upside down Thwimps is pretty well done. Half a point awarded.
1.5/4 (Good)
(Note: You can get stuck and die in a hole in a wall right after entering the pipe to the second part)

Obligatory Minecart
Graphics: The FG is okay, the BG unfitting to what the level is about AND the palette of the FG. Doesn't mean it looks bad, just kinda off. The pipe-as-a-minecart thing is kinda weird but it is functional enough. No points awarded.
Music: The same as in Mt Thwimp, but even more unfitting, somehow. No points awarded.
Gameplay: Looks like it's just thrown together to test stuff, especially at the end. Not very enjoyable. No points awarded.
Extra points: To give credits where it's due, the minecart itself works quite well. Half a point awarded.
0.5/4 (Mediocre)
(Note: The jump sound is very distorted sometimes)

Top Secret Area
I'm not gonna give this one a grading because it's not a real level, but I did like the little secret you can get to if you use wings. The wings are pretty cool as well, if a bit too OP for regular levels. Luckily it fades after you exit a level.

Balloon Fight
Graphics: The balloons look sweet, the castle tileset fits suprisingly well with the forest background in the first half and the second half doesn't look to shabby as well. Point awarded.
Music: Yeah, sorry, but it's still unfitting, especially in the later half. No points awarded.
Gameplay: The Tubular part isn't enjoyable because there's no way of telling that there's a whole level beneath. For the rest, it's a very well designed level. Sometimes you have to wait a bit too long for the next area, but that's not much of a problem if you can fast forward. The final part is really enjoyable if a bit short. Those are all minor nitpicks though, this is my favorite level overall. Point awarded.
Extra points: Absolutely. The balloons work really well, especially the ones in the second part. Point awarded.
3/4 (Fantastic)

Quillquarrel Quarry
Graphics: I don't know why everyone's complaining about the palettes. They're solid if unspectacular in my book. Half a point awarded.
Music: Basic SMW, but at least it's fitting this time. Half a point awarded.
Gameplay: Not a particularly special level, but still quite fun to play through. Half a point awarded.
Extra points: This level is just a little too non-gimmicky compared to the others. No points awarded.
1.5/4 (Good)

When In Doubt...
Graphics: The first half has an ugly foreground. The second half is quite good. Half a point awarded.
Music: The beginning had me fearing for the worst, but later on in the song it got a bit better. Not groundbreaking but it'll do. Half a point awarded.
Gameplay: This level has a boatload of good ideas, but the first half was quite dull. The second half was really neat though. Half a point awarded.
Extra points: The gimmick of the second half was really nice and was used properly. I don't know about the first half though. Was there even much of a gimmick? I don't understand the title either. Half a point awarded.
2/4 (Very Good)

Launchpad Lakeside
Graphics: Could've been much more lakeside-y, but that doesn't mean they're bad. The palletes are a joy to look at. Half a point awarded.
Music: Nice music and could've fit well if the graphics corresponded to the lakeside theme. Half a point awarded.
Gameplay: It's just not really well made. I get the ideas and they are good on paper, but persoanlly I didn't enjoy it much. Too many jumps that are questionable and too many Spinies thrown together. No points awarded.
Extra points: The ideas were good, just not executed well enough to really rock it. Half a point awarded because I think it still deserves credit.
1.5/4 (Good)

Waterfall Site
Graphics: Not much to say other than that it is respectably good. Not special but it works like it should. Half a point awarded.
Music: Again, the more you repeat the same thing, the less enjoyable and fitting it becomes. No points awarded.
Gameplay: This level is honestly much too aggrevating for these kind of hacks, because the screen scroll doesn't work how it should (the objects off screen still work but reset if you return, causing some weird situations). It also has too many precise jumps and climbs. No points awarded.
Extra points: The idea is good enough but it just didn't come out well. Half a point awarded.
1/4 (Passable)

Lava Discriminates?
Graphics: Is it just me, or does just about every FG tileset work with a forest BG? Anyway, while that looks fine, the enemies walking on lava look awkward and the glass-like blocks in the second half are weird. No points awarded.
Music: This music piece fits the level MUCH more than the others did. It doesn't sound mightily impressive on it's own though. Half a point awarded.
Gameplay: This level has some good ideas, but some choices are questionable. In the first half it seems you ran out of ideas with what you got and just added different kinds of enemies and blocks to see how they would respond to lava. Overall though, I still enjoyed playing through it. Half a point awarded.
Extra points: The ideas were quite something. While a few didn't EXACTLY work, the second half was awesome. Playing 'the floor is lava' in the first level in SMB already a fun challenge, but now it got serious, and that feels great. It's full of good ideas and that made this a solid level. Point awarded.
2.5/4 (Great)

So overall...
14.5/28 or 5.2/10 (Good)

Despite the low rating, I did really enjoy myself and had quite some fun doing this for the review. The music choice is poor and the design seems mixed & mashed together in some levels. Still though, you have a good hack in your hands. Be a bit more creative with your music and focus on a gimmick at a time untill it seems like you can't do much more with it, then change it correspondedly.

Hope this has helped with the further design of this hack and future ones as well!

Forum Index → SMW Hacking → Works in Progress → Hack Testing → Fishing Season 2 (First beta wave)

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