My SMM2 NSMBU Super World Thread (tips appreciated!)

FizzletheMovieTheatre

FizzletheMovieTheatre

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Fizzle1491
I'm not good at making traditional levels, I'll just state that. And I want to make an NSMBU Super World with some custom missing enemies that I already have designs for. So, what're some tips or tip videos y'all know about doing this? And I want to follow this level layout, the world names are just placeholders for now(F=fortress, C=castle, T=train, A=airship, GH=ghost house, ???=idk yet):
World 1: Grass
1-1: Lofty Lift Plaintiff
1-2: Pushy Plant Path
1-F: Decapokey's Fortress
1-3: ?
1-C: Larry's Castle
World 2: Desert
2-1: ?
2-GH: ?
2-2: ?
2-3: ?
2-A: Roy's Airship
World 3: Underground
3-1: ?
3-2: ?
3-F: Another New Boss
3-3: ?
3-T: Morton's Mining Train
World 4: Snow
4-1: ?
4-GH: ?
4-2: ?
4-3: ?
4-C: Wendy's Castle
World 5: Forest
5-1: ?
5-2: ?
5-F: Dino Piranha redesign
5-3: ?
5-A: Ludwig's Airship
World 6: Sky
6-1: ?
6-GH
6-2: ?
6-3: ?
6-T: Lemmy's Train in the Sky
World 7: Castle
7-1: ?
7-2: ?
7-F: Iggy's Fortress
7-3: ?
7-C: Bowser's Castle
World Star: Space
Star-1: Meteor Shower
Star-2: ?
Star-3: Enemy Factory
Star-F: Boss Bunker
Star-C: Bowser's Final Castle
 
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Here are some general tips that I've picked up on for traditional level making.

  • Try to figure out a target difficulty. Would you like the world to be on the easier or harder side?
  • Base each level around a few specific course parts, and expand on them as the level progresses. This is to avoid clutter and generally allows for a good flow of the level.
  • Put some thought into making it look nice. Use semisolid platforms as backgrounds, use the little background elements that pop up on ground tiles, and try using slopes. I've also found that if a section feels empty, some coins to fill in the space works wonders.
  • Clarity and readability are important. What I mean by this is that (unless maybe it's a Ghost House,) it should be clear where to go to proceed, and there should never be blind guesses or trust jumps. Let them see what's coming.
  • Don't waste the player's time. Riding a moving platform for 30 seconds with no obstacles just isn't fun. Adding checkpoints is great for reducing tedium especially if your levels are long.
  • Since you said that it's a NSMBU world specifically, I'd suggest taking advantage of Mario's full moveset when applicable. Ground-pounds and wall jumps are NSMBU's pride and joy.
  • Adding secret coins and 1-ups on optional paths are great for players to try and get. The feeling of choice makes levels feel alive, if you know what I mean.
  • A light usage of sound effects can make a level pop. Using different music for bosses and bonuses is also a good idea.
  • Don't add infinite powerups in boss rooms. This is fake difficulty; you can't lose fights like this and it comes across as really boring.
  • Know the source material. If you play official Nintendo levels, you'll probably get a better grasp on what works and what doesn't.
  • Playtest and fine-tune your levels, and try getting other people to playtest them too. If you'd like to share level codes in this thread as you make progress, I'd love to play them and give you more direct feedback rather than these general tips. Don't forget that you can always delete your uploaded levels from the server and edit them if you need to.

Odyssey Central's Mario Maker 2 videos are pretty good videos for tips and inspiration.

Hopefully this helps!
 
Thanks. I'm using some of Weegeed Soulz's missing enemy designs, such as Fuzzies, Ptooies, and a track-riding Dorrie. I'll probably upload these levels one world at a time, and my maker code is somewhere on my profile. I'll also edit the first post, with new developments or changes. Like how I've decided to not use Boom Boom and instead make my own new bosses.
 
I just posted W1-1, tilted Loft Lift Plaintiff. My Maker code is 6F3-JBS-F2G, where it is my most recent upload. Every level will have three Big Coins (posing as star coins) and a hidden 1-UP, with a difficulty of one to five stars in the description. More levels will come soon, and I'll update the top post with the level names.
 
I just finished playing through your 1-1. It's really good! I think you're underestimating your abilities, because this has me excited for the rest of your world.

The first thing about it that immediately stuck out to me was the decorations and aesthetics. You clearly put a lot of thought into those. I liked the way you used the mushroom platform stems specifically. I also liked the rails you added along the sides of the yellow lifts, which double as a nice visual touch and allow as a sort of indicator so you know how far the platforms move up and down. That's good stuff!

I like the Star Coin approach to your level too. I don't have any complaints about those; I think they were all in good spots. They were fun to get.

The only thing I'd want is just... more of it! Now this could just be my personal preference speaking, but I thought it was a bit too short. Take it with a grain of salt, but at the same time I think one pit between the checkpoint and the goal is a little... little. In my opinion, there wasn't enough time for the "development" part of the stage.

But yeah, I really liked it! I'd love to see what you make next.
 
Alrighty. And instead of following average Mario game procedures, where 1-2 is underground, the entire third world will be underground, and all of world 1 will be grass or castle, which is my intended path throughout. Thanks for your feedback, @ViableBunnyBudd! Did you find the hidden 1-UP, though? It was right above the first set of blocks. I also added new level types; Trains, which will appear in worlds 3 and 6, and Airships, which will appear in worlds 2 and 5, while Worlds 1, 4, 7, and Star will have Castles still.
 
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First, I did not expect my level to blow up (by blow up, I mean get nearly 50 plays in a week, which is a lot for/to me) like it did. Thank you all who played it. Second, 1-2 is nearly done, so that'll be coming soon. And I forgot what else I was gonna say. >:| I'll edit this later if I remember lol

EDIT: I remember now. The first four levels in every world except Star will introduce four gimmicks, such as moving platforms, pipe plants, and seesaws (spoiler alert for W1), and the Castle will expand on those gimmicks further.
 
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Well, that was the fastest level making of my life. W1-F: Decapokey's Fortress has been released! It isn't too good, but it is a horizontal fortress, which has never been done in the mainline games.
 
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