02-09-2019, 01:12 AM
There's this idea that I've had in my head for quite a long time: a discussion of the level design of a specific Mario game. Since there hasn't been much game design discussion around here lately, I thought it'd be a good idea to start a topic about my idea. We'll be doing SMB3, as that's a game many people here know and love!
So, as a quick explanation for how this will work, we'll discuss the levels of SMB3 one by one. A level map can be provided to refresh our memory or as a reference. We can talk about what does the level do nicely and what does it do badly, how can it be improved, etc. Once we think enough has been said and it's been quite some time, we can move onto the next level. I'll be providing maps and discussing the levels from the NES version, but you can discuss them with a different version in mind, since not much has changed in those level design-wise.
I'm sure it'll take a long time to get from World 1-1 to Bowser's Castle in World 8 (if we ever get to that point), but I'm hoping that this will be very successful! I bet we'll learn quite a lot about level design from this thread!
With all that said, let's hit the Start button and begin our discussion with World 1-1:
Level Map
I'm gonna go into quite some detail, as this is the first level of the game, and it introduces quite a lot of things to you. You get to come across a Goomba and ? Blocks right away, which teach you how to jump. You soon get to meet a Venus Fire Trap, an enemy that I think is a bit dangerous at this point of the game (more on that later). Once you get past the plant, you'll find a Koopa Troopa that you can mess with, stomping and kicking them will teach you how they work, with a Goomba placed below that will get hit by the sliding shell. You may be rewarded with a power-up (a mushroom or leaf) depending on how you kicked the shell.
Ahead is a line of enemies, one of which is new. If you obtained a leaf from utilizing the Koopa Troopa earlier, you can practice your spin attack, as this is a flat field and the enemies are rather slow. Once you've cleared them out, you got a lot of room to fill up your P-Meter. At this point, there are two scenarios that can happen. One is that if the player knows how to use the leaf, they'll follow the coin trail that points up, which then rewards them with a 1-Up mushroom along with a good amount of coins. This encourages players to use the leaf to find any areas that are hidden in the sky.
Another scenario has the player not fly up and just jump over the pit. As they go right, they'll see Koopa Paratroopas introduced to them. If they remain at the ground, the flying enemies will be above them, meaning the player can analyze their behavior for a bit without any sort of risk (unless they want to interact with them, which can reward them with their wings taken off if they stomp on them).
After jumping over a couple pits, you'll see a Piranha Plant along with another Venus Fire Trap. They look similar, but have slightly different behaviors. Once you get past them, you'll find bricks and another Koopa Troopa. If you kick the Koopa Troopa into the bricks, you'll see that they break the bricks. You can also try to hit them with your tail (if you still have the leaf) or from below (if the Koopa Troopa took care some of the bricks), which may eventually reward you with a P-Switch. This thing turns bricks into coins. There appears to be quite a lot you can learn about bricks in this area!
If you still have your leaf, you may try to fly up around this part of the level (perhaps to see what's above that green, tall block). If you fly high enough, you'll discover the top of a Warp Pipe. If you decide to use it (either through curiosity or knowledge of entering Warp Pipes), you'll find yourself in a bonus area with coins that make a cool formation! Whether or not you went into the bonus area (exiting said area will take you to about the same point), you'll go right, where the place gets rather calm after all the action going on before. Soon, the level cuts off to a black background and you'll find a card that serves as the exit to the level.
As an introduction level, I think this one does a pretty good job helping you get the feel of how the game plays. It's probably a bit harder than World 1-1 from the original SMB, but it's still rather easy. One thing that could be changed is the Venus Fire Trap at the beginning. It isn't a hard enemy, but compared to the other enemies introduced in this level, it's a bit much. I'd probably save it for later in the level or even not until World 1-2. Other than that, though, I think this level is really well-structured and very memorable!
What are your thoughts on this level?
So, as a quick explanation for how this will work, we'll discuss the levels of SMB3 one by one. A level map can be provided to refresh our memory or as a reference. We can talk about what does the level do nicely and what does it do badly, how can it be improved, etc. Once we think enough has been said and it's been quite some time, we can move onto the next level. I'll be providing maps and discussing the levels from the NES version, but you can discuss them with a different version in mind, since not much has changed in those level design-wise.
I'm sure it'll take a long time to get from World 1-1 to Bowser's Castle in World 8 (if we ever get to that point), but I'm hoping that this will be very successful! I bet we'll learn quite a lot about level design from this thread!
With all that said, let's hit the Start button and begin our discussion with World 1-1:
Level Map
I'm gonna go into quite some detail, as this is the first level of the game, and it introduces quite a lot of things to you. You get to come across a Goomba and ? Blocks right away, which teach you how to jump. You soon get to meet a Venus Fire Trap, an enemy that I think is a bit dangerous at this point of the game (more on that later). Once you get past the plant, you'll find a Koopa Troopa that you can mess with, stomping and kicking them will teach you how they work, with a Goomba placed below that will get hit by the sliding shell. You may be rewarded with a power-up (a mushroom or leaf) depending on how you kicked the shell.
Ahead is a line of enemies, one of which is new. If you obtained a leaf from utilizing the Koopa Troopa earlier, you can practice your spin attack, as this is a flat field and the enemies are rather slow. Once you've cleared them out, you got a lot of room to fill up your P-Meter. At this point, there are two scenarios that can happen. One is that if the player knows how to use the leaf, they'll follow the coin trail that points up, which then rewards them with a 1-Up mushroom along with a good amount of coins. This encourages players to use the leaf to find any areas that are hidden in the sky.
Another scenario has the player not fly up and just jump over the pit. As they go right, they'll see Koopa Paratroopas introduced to them. If they remain at the ground, the flying enemies will be above them, meaning the player can analyze their behavior for a bit without any sort of risk (unless they want to interact with them, which can reward them with their wings taken off if they stomp on them).
After jumping over a couple pits, you'll see a Piranha Plant along with another Venus Fire Trap. They look similar, but have slightly different behaviors. Once you get past them, you'll find bricks and another Koopa Troopa. If you kick the Koopa Troopa into the bricks, you'll see that they break the bricks. You can also try to hit them with your tail (if you still have the leaf) or from below (if the Koopa Troopa took care some of the bricks), which may eventually reward you with a P-Switch. This thing turns bricks into coins. There appears to be quite a lot you can learn about bricks in this area!
If you still have your leaf, you may try to fly up around this part of the level (perhaps to see what's above that green, tall block). If you fly high enough, you'll discover the top of a Warp Pipe. If you decide to use it (either through curiosity or knowledge of entering Warp Pipes), you'll find yourself in a bonus area with coins that make a cool formation! Whether or not you went into the bonus area (exiting said area will take you to about the same point), you'll go right, where the place gets rather calm after all the action going on before. Soon, the level cuts off to a black background and you'll find a card that serves as the exit to the level.
As an introduction level, I think this one does a pretty good job helping you get the feel of how the game plays. It's probably a bit harder than World 1-1 from the original SMB, but it's still rather easy. One thing that could be changed is the Venus Fire Trap at the beginning. It isn't a hard enemy, but compared to the other enemies introduced in this level, it's a bit much. I'd probably save it for later in the level or even not until World 1-2. Other than that, though, I think this level is really well-structured and very memorable!
What are your thoughts on this level?
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