Guidelines for creating a good level

[Void007]

yeah for a puzzle maybe but i still think you should avoid it at all times because it makes your levels look unproffesional

[antnee]

Rule 28 is way off. If the player has to look at it for more than a few seconds to know what to do, then do something different.

[antnee]

Also, rule 29 is why half of the depot is shit. Not every level has to be a shining beacon of originality; there are only so many combinations of sprites. If you fall into the trap of thinking a level sucks because its not original enough, I promise you your work will seem very amateurish.

[Void007]

okay puzzles should be really short and easy... got it
okay 29... i didn't explain this rule well enogh... try to put sometimes something unique in the level like a diffrent way of platforming, diffrent usage of enemies, original themes for levels etc.
i still can't explain it well enogh so i'll just stop here... if i got it wrong again fell free to tell me

[yoshimo]

I got some for entrances

30. Make the Stage and place the entrance/exit where it makes sense and looks good. In Another Super Mario Bros. Wii, I saw several jump entrances that started onscreen, and some pipe entrances that didn't even come out of a pipe, but rather out of nowhere. Some special exit controllers were placed where Mario was still half on the screen going upwards. I can blame going down, for that can warn a player of a bottomless pit, but up just looks strange.

31. Make sure your entrances/exits are Yoshi compatible! I've seen some entrances and exits that cause either glitching/death, or you go off of yoshi. Some of these include Rolling Hill Warp Pipes, Enterable Warp Pipe Sprite, and Jumping upwards entrances.

32. Make sure the Mini Pipe exits have a normal pipe entrance. This is due to the fact of that multiplayer causes the automatic warp, so the enterer can be mini, but the others may not be mini. Be careful!

one last rule that isn't entrance related.

33. Make activators that won't cause probable glitch deaths! Due to the abilities of making activators that cause blocks to appear, make sure they don't cause the person to glitch into a wall crush or pit.

[BlueBlood2]

34. No enemy overloads

35 No random warps or warps that kill the player.

[Void007]

34. is allready been said, and 35. is a part of "not doing any kaizo stuff"

[Rapper_skull]

36. Do not edit Peach's Castle, it is not editable, I don't know why. I tested it in SNEEK.
If you only save that level in reggie without edit anything the level will crash on entering.

[Skawo]

36. Do not edit Peach's Castle, it is not editable, I don't know why. I tested it in SNEEK.
If you only save that level in reggie without edit anything the level will crash on entering.

It is editable. By saving, Reggie makes the level a bit bigger, to insert a couple things, and you can't scrub in bigger levels.

[Rapper_skull]

36. Do not edit Peach's Castle, it is not editable, I don't know why. I tested it in SNEEK.
If you only save that level in reggie without edit anything the level will crash on entering.

It is editable. By saving, Reggie makes the level a bit bigger, to insert a couple things, and you can't scrub in bigger levels.

Yes, Reggie inserts the Crated with Reggie string, and other things in all levels but the game doesn't like an edited Peach Castle.

[Skawo]

Did you bother to read my entire post?
The game doesn't like if you scrub bigger levels into the iso.

You can edit Peach's Castle, since I've done it in Another without need for ASM hacks.

[Rapper_skull]

Did you bother to read my entire post?
The game doesn't like if you scrub bigger levels into the iso.

You can edit Peach's Castle, since I've done it in Another without need for ASM hacks.

How do you did it?
I edited the level and in sneek it crashes...

[Skawo]

With Riivolution.

[Rapper_skull]

With Riivolution.

So not working with iso replacing?

[joietyfull64]

It is editable 100% and I edited it with out any problems and it was big.
It was even so big that the background was black because of too many sprites in the boss fight.

And it doesn't matter how big the level is on my wii. There were small levels which didn't work because of TILING and I proved it that it's the tiling. I had large levels which worked.

But there was also one strange case with the failed desert level for which I earned really 8,2 points! It does not work today. It worked sometime but after some very little additions it didn't want anymore. I was lucky and saved a working version of it. I don't know till today what I made wrong. I was sick of it eventually because it was then the 3rd case at which the level crashed, at least.

What I want to add:

37. Don't make too much decoration. If you know my earlier levels you will facepalm yourself and you will understand. Better use sprites than tiles for decoration. In some cases like with grassland levels there can't be made much wrong with tile decoration.

[HammerBroTime]

Oh well, it's my turn to say something
38. Make tricks to allow the player to reach the top of the flagpole. It seems idiot/stupid/whatever but really, doing it your level will look way more professional. Trust me
39. Don't make too narrow areas. Narrow areas are annoying, sometimes in singleplayer and especially in multiplayer where you don't know to put yourself Medium-size areas are the ideal.

[JP0101hacK]

I want add:
40:Don't use the custom music that damages level's theme.
The levels that used custom music are mostly really creative and nice, but don't use mis-match custom musics. (example: Overworld levels&Final Boss Music in Super Mario Galaxy)It is just awful.

[joietyfull64]

(example: Overworld levels&Final Boss Music in Super Mario Galaxy)

Hammer XD!

[joietyfull64]

41. (very important) Pay attention to the themes of your levels. Don't insert too much different sprite theme ideas. That is the fact why good level ideas can be destroyed completely within the level. Nintendo's levels are single themed mostly but also multi themed sometimes (within the levels). Multi themed levels are harder for beginners because it's not easy to mix different sprite themes within certain environment themes so that they fit together. Therefore castles and towers are not for beginners because they are mostly multi themed.
A multi themed level should not have more than 3 different sprite themes.

One sprite theme is for example: horizontally/vertically moving platforms (normal ones), swinging sprites, rotating sprites, path controlled sprites...
Blocks and coins are special themed and can be used everywhere (except e.g. glowing block in overworld grassland levels or flying question blocks with wrong colour)

Each sprite theme has different environment themes which shouldn't be mixed because there are many different sprites which have the same sprite theme for e.g. a crystal block (underground) with a swinging platform (1st tower).

So don't make too much different ideas in an environment theme.
For example (what you shouldn't do):
stretching line blocks + giant shells + Huckit Crabs + Pirahna Plants + Urchins + Giant Urchins + Cheep Cheeps(normal and other) + pipe bubbles + floating logs + Porcu-Puffer + Bulber + Cheep Chomp + falling platforms when touched + horizontally moving platforms + rail controlled moving flashlight raft

42. Due 41. it is also very important to pay attention at the enemies. Don't insert many different enemies. Especially in towers and castles. Pay also attention that you insert mostly same and correctly themed enemies. That means you should use the enemies there for what they are made. So don't use a beetle for overworld levels (especially not the giant one). If you wanna be very sure which enemies fit to which theme then look e.g. in Super Mario Wiki as New Super Mario Bros. Wii or in Reggie! at the categories where the enemies are to be found. But it can be that an enemy can fit to another theme although it isn't to be seen e.g. Bob omb in underground or sky levels or beetles in lava levels.

[Void007]

You should usually base around a combo of 1-3 or so enemies, depending on the level theme. Try and not use more than 5 unless the level theme needs more then that.