Yes it's the return of GRcades Premier (only) Super Mario Maker level design contest!
It's been almost one year exactly since OldSoulCyborg claimed the title in a stunning victory over The Watching Artist and I'm back looking for my next Master Mario Maker!
Will Cyborg stand-up to defend his throne? Will TWA take on the challenge once more? Will Jazzem rise like a Phoenix from the ashes to reclaim his title? Will Jawasteps (TM) make a long-overdue return to the forum lexicon? Will we EVER see Super Pedz Bros - Special World?
The answers to these questions and more will be answered RIGHT HERE!
So what's different this time around?
Honestly, nothing really. The format I used last time around seemed to work out really well once we ironed out the kinks with the scoring system, so it's returning once more.
There were some suggestions about giving participants two weeks to vote for levels, but it would have lengthened the contest substantially, and even then would only really work if there were at least three groups. As such the two week timescale remains.
How does it work?
Participants will be given a brief, with one week to create the level and then a second week to vote for levels. So far, so the same. The difference is that there will be no eliminations until the very final stages of the contest. In addition, participants will be split into two groups who will submit levels on alternating weeks. So Group A will submit on week 1, Group B on week 2 etc. This lets me do results and submissions each week.
Players (And non-players) can vote for both groups. Exact scoring guidelines will be issued once I know exactly how many players we have. Participants MUST submit votes each week.
Once every player has made 8 levels the groups will be split up into two final brackets which will be used to determine the final places. So the top scorers from each group will go into the Upper Bracket, with the lower scorers going into the Lower Bracket. All scores are reset at this point. The Lower bracket then gets to make one more level, with the scores used to determine their positions.
The Upper Bracket also make one level, with the two top scorers going forward to the Grand Final.
One of the benefits of this is that there shouldn't be a situation where someone makes a level, only to be knocked out. This was one of my biggest issues with the first time around and I know it wasn't popular amongst participants either.
Biggest takeaway is that every participant is guaranteed to make at least 9 levels before they can be eliminated. So plenty of time for people to get invested and have some fun.
All events will take place on Sunday. Voting and Submission Deadline at 8pm, Briefs will be posted in the thread at 8.30pm, with the Results and Submission showcase taking place at 9pm on Twitch. Levels will be published in the thread once the Results and Submission show has finished.
So to Be Clear... Week 1 - 1st Brief for Group A given out. Week 2 - 1st Brief for Group B given out. Group A Submission Deadline Week 3 - 2nd Brief for Group A given out. Group A Results. Group B Submission Deadline Week 4 - 2nd Brief for Group B given out. Group B Results. Group A 2nd Submission Deadline Week 5 - 3rd Brief for Group A given out. Group A Results. Group B 2nd Submission Deadline etc etc
Just register your interest in the thread and you're in. Bear in mind that you will need a Wii U for this as the 3DS version is sadly crippled in some key areas.
I'm planning on keeping sign-ups open until 8pm Wednesday 31st January when I will announce the groups before issuing the first brief on Sunday the 4th of February.
In the meantime if anyone has any suggestions, there is still time to talk about changes, additions etc.
I'll be posting the finalised rules closer to the time.
Last edited by Cheeky Devlin on Sun Jun 17, 2018 10:55 pm, edited 27 times in total.
As is tradition, we start with a relatively straight forward brief. I want a level that makes special use of Goombas, Koopas and Bills. These can just be used as normal enemies, or you might want to do something more interesting with them. This doesn't mean you can't use other enemies, but these three should be the main focus. You may use any game style but I would request that you stick to "standard" level templates. No Ghost Houses, Airships, Water Levels etc. Castles, Overworld or Underworld are what I would be looking for. These are some of the simplest and most iconic of all the enemies that Mario faces so it's up to you to do something fun with them.
Week 2
Week 2 Guidelines
Welcome to Warp Zone! There are few things that are as iconic to Super Mario Bros as the Warp Pipes. These (often forgotten) pieces of plumbing serve so many different purposes, from moving between areas, to spawning enemies, to just being damn pretty to look at.
I want you to make a level that makes special use of Warp pipes. This could be in the form of a pipe maze, where you have to find the right exit or it could be an ingenious arrangement of enemy spawners. I want you to think differently with this one and come up with something intriguing and fun. Pipes in both appearance and utility, should be a prominent part of the level you design. There are no restrictions on types of blocks or items you can use. I would like to see this restricted to either Super Mario Bros 3 or Super Mario World levels though. No Super Mario Bros or New Super Mario Bros please. I would also restrict you to using only overworld and underworld tilesets, so no Ghost Houses, Airships, Castles or water levels please.
Week 3
Well it's the return of one of the last competitions most popular weeks.
Designed to tax your level design skills to the max, can you squeeze a compelling level into just one game screen?
Your challenge this week, is to make a level entirely on ONE SCREEN. That means no scrolling, no pipes. The only scrolling I will accept is the scrolling the game automatically does to centre on Mario. You should be able to see the entire level from the moment it starts (Including the exit). Doors are allowed, but again, you cannot move Mario away from the starting area.
Now what you do with this one screen level is up to you. It can be a puzzle, a race against time, a quick test of skill or something else entirely. You may use any game style, and any level type.
Week 4
As I'm a masochist who likes inflicting horrendous stuff on myself, this week is a celebration of things that make me rage in Mario.
I want you to make a stage that utilises three-key elements.
1 - A time limit 2 - Autoscroller 3 - Underwater
You may use any Mario game you like with any tileset you like, but your level must contain all three of these elements. This can be in distinct areas separated by pipes, or all in the one, but all three must be present.
There are no other restrictions or requirements.
I look forward to seeing what you come up with!
Levels are due to be submitted by 8pm Sunday 1st of April.
Week 5
For our final week before we start whittling down the makers, I'm bringing back one of my favourite weeks from the earlier contests.
Makers are tasked with creating a scrolling shoot-em-up level, making use of the Koopa Clown Car. This should also be an autoscroller (again). How fast or slow you make it is up to yourself.
There are no other guidelines for this week. Lets go out with a bang!
You will have slightly longer to make your level this week (For my own reasons). As such you will have until 8pm Tuesday 17th April to submit your levels to me. This also means that the submission stream will take place that night as well.
Good luck!
Quarter Final
So a bit of a tricky one for our makers this time around.
Mario has traditionally been accompanied by his brother Luigi in most of his (2D at least) adventures. So this time around I want you to design a level with 2 distinct phases. A Mario phase and a Luigi phase.
Each phase should be performed by a different Mario brother. Use Mystery Mushrooms if you have the Mario/Luigi ones. If you have no way of getting Luigi into the game at all that's fine, just make sure there is a clear distinction between each segment.
Ideally there should be some interaction between the two phases. This could be as simple as taking a P-Switch from one to the other, or it could be something smarter and trickier. Your imagination is your only limiting factor here, but I have a feeling the smarter and more original the solution the more voters will like them.
So a tricky one, to separate the men from the boys.
As always you will have until 8pm on Sunday to pm your levels to me. Good Luck makers!
On a related note, the stream at 8pm will reveal who the Quarter-Finalists are so be sure to join me to find out![/b]
Semi-Finals
Semi-Final Guidelines!
So for our explosive semi-final I want to see you do fun and interesting things with Bob-ombs. What you do is up to yourself, but they must play an integral part of your level.
There are no restrictions on anything else, but I want to see the cute little bastards exploding all over the place!
Remember, the two winners this week will be going through to our Grand Final, so get your thinking caps on!
You have until 8pm Sunday 13th of May to get your submissions into me.
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