Are "Advanced levels" a copout?

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lovechild
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Post » 04 Jul 2013, 21:15

Say, you already have content -- LOTS of content, and are just looking to pad out the rest of your game. Are having copies of easier levels turned harder, or hard levels even harder a lame thing to do?

We know original Portal already did this, But can the awesome turned awesomer translate into mari0?

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Automatik
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Post » 04 Jul 2013, 21:27

IMO, if these levels feels really different from the originals, then it's okay.

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TurretBot
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Post » 08 Jul 2013, 07:52

When Super Mario Bros. Crossover 3.0 comes out, we can port the hard and easy levels over to Mari0.

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Superjustinbros
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Post » 08 Jul 2013, 08:59

Turret Opera wrote:When Super Mario Bros. Crossover 3.0 comes out, we can port the hard and easy levels over to Mari0.
So we'll have both SMB1 and SMBS in all three difficulties and the later available in both PC88 and Sharp X1?

I've always wondered how many of us have active accounts on the Exploding Rabbit forums...?

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TurretBot
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Post » 08 Jul 2013, 09:01

Superjustinbros wrote:
Turret Opera wrote:When Super Mario Bros. Crossover 3.0 comes out, we can port the hard and easy levels over to Mari0.
So we'll have both SMB1 and SMBS in all three difficulties and the later available in both PC88 and Sharp X1?
SMBS isn't getting difficulty changes.

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Superjustinbros
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Post » 09 Jul 2013, 03:35

Look more closely at the trailer, preferably footage of SMBS 7-2's "Hard Mode".

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TurretBot
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Post » 09 Jul 2013, 08:37

Turret Opera wrote:SMBS isn't getting difficulty changes.

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idiot9.0
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Post » 09 Jul 2013, 09:25

Did you not just read what Justin said, Turret? And on that note, how sure are you that SMBS is not getting hard mode levels as well? Are you part of the dev team? Got credible sources? Because at this point I'm more than positive that Justin's statement is correct here.

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TurretBot
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Post » 09 Jul 2013, 09:36

Alright first of all if your just going to disagree with everything I say then you can just leave right now,
In the trailer you can see that only SMB1 has changed levels (or the graphics change screwed me over in which case you win) and also I'm pretty sure it's going to be a lot of work to make new levels for easy and hard modes for SMB1 so if they're doing SMBS too then no wonder they haven't released it yet even after it's release date.

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TripleXero
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Post » 09 Jul 2013, 09:41

"Everything" you say? You said one thing. Twice. And it had no reasoning behind it so, why would anyone agree with it

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TurretBot
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Post » 09 Jul 2013, 10:53

Yes, "Everything" I say.

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Superjustinbros
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Post » 09 Jul 2013, 13:05

Let me explain a bit more in depth.

Near the end of the trailer, there is a clip that shows the player as Quickman In Special's 7-2 crossing the final stretch of land after the main underwater segment before the flag. Normally the area has water below the clouds the player must land on, but in Hard, the water is replaced by lava, and Podobos leap out to foil the player's goals at the last second.

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idiot9.0
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Post » 09 Jul 2013, 17:30

See, now what Justin said was some damn good credible information. Thank you Justin for verifying that SMBS will have Hard Mode.

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Mr.Q.Marx?
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Post » 09 Jul 2013, 18:00

OK. Cool. Now back to the thread.
I think "Advanced levels" are good if the mappack is based on it. The 'packs based on time and other things work well. In Portal I think the levels become more advanced because GlaDOS is testing you further, so it makes sense that you might see the same room again with different, harder, challenges.
Copying entire rooms and putting a few more enemies just to increase playtime is a LAZY move however. It's just going to feel like grinding. If it doesn't make sense within the rules of the mappack you're playing, it's not a good idea.

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TurretBot
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Post » 09 Jul 2013, 23:10

idiot9.0 wrote:SMBS will have Hard Mode.
Turret Opera wrote:no wonder they haven't released it yet even after it's release date.
that's all I have left to say in this thread.

lovechild
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Post » 11 Jul 2013, 01:22

Yeah, adding enemies alone does not make a level "Advanced" more than arbitrarily more difficult. The idea of an advanced level is to test skills you gathered later on earlier levels with new parameters and conditions.

Adding lasers alone doesn't cut it either; There ought to be a new puzzle element tossed in that makes the player think. If the level re-uses a composition of assets from another level prior, it ought to be used as a skeleton, with objects in different places, or eith buttons that do different things to make it feel like a new experience. Look at SMB and SMB:LL, both teh same game, with the latter having harder levelsets per world. It didn't feel like the same game with extra enemies tossed in, it felt like a natural extension of the game (which probably began as a FCD project before the disk system addon flunked).
If you don't know already, worlds 9 through D are only accessible in LL if you never turn off the console, and never use a warp pipe. Talk about dedication!

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