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The Player's Guide to Level Design is By L and those who added to this guide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Guide to the Mushroom Kingdom! DON'T PANIC!!! The Player's Guide to level designHi! i had alot of spare time on my hands! and being the ever loving Hitchiker's guide to the Glaaxy fan that i am i decided to make the GUIDE!!!
It entails defentions and common level traps and such!
Please help me add to the guide by commenting suggestions!
Headwriter
L-Black ink
Guest Writers
Speedy9876-Green ink
Yaranzo-Blue Ink
jdaster64-Orange Ink DONT PANIC!!!
General Writers: All are Violet
ps Nothing in this guide should be taken to seriously!
Noobs:
Entry: Noob's are the lowest rank at posting, and therefore have seen very few levels. It should be noted that we all start out as noobs- and that every one gets better with time!!! In an attemp to garner attention they write words with the blocks. (HAhahahahaha i personally rember doing this my self!) Common words include: LOL HI I LOVE (INSERT TEMPURARY CRUSH HERE) ROFL ect ect...
Well the guide feels that writting this in a level would be more apropriate
Entry:
Level Obstacle: The Bullet Ride
The Bullet Ride is a very fun and creative obstacle. It is very nice when this obstacle is placed in the front of the level allowing the player to try and try again with out having to retreck through the entire level.
Putting it at the end also seems like a cheap way out, and reeks of poor planning (in some cases). It is poor planning to just throw this obstacle in becasue it is easy to make and can eat up alot of ground. Hey but what ever you enjoy you should make!
Here is an example:
Entry:
NOOB TRAIT: MONSTER OVER LOAD
Like any new amature, some people resort to quanity over quaility, or you've got levelers block (hhahahaha ya ive done this too!) In trying to make up for the inability to craft levels with finese, the stumped level maker instead forces countless monsters into the level with brute force. O ya ive been here before!
A sad example:
Entry
Level Obstacle: THE SIVE!!! AKA THE LEVELER!!!
This just happens to be one of the guide's favorite level techniques. In order to conitue on to the rest of the level the player is forced to obtain a mushroom some where earlyer in the stage and then make it back while "big" to get through the row of plants! The aplications are endless. Often it is used at the end of a stage to block the flag and make the player go to the start of the stage and obtain a mushroom. This technique is also used mid-level to make sure that the player is lil mario for the rest of the level, and can therefore be used to make a level more difficult. This obstacle can also be used at the start of a stage to eliminate and power ups the player may have obtained from another level.
The Play By Play:
[/b]
Entry:
Scenery Type: SIDE 2
The Scenery type Side 2 only moves when the player is on it, and is staionary when the player is off of it. A glourious side effect of this is running reaaaallly reaalllly fast! Several of the side 2 platforms can be placed in a line to give the mario a HUGE speed bost!!!
An example:
Entry:
Level Obstacle: The Plants in the Grass AKA
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!!!
The Piranah Plant Move/Up Down (lets call them Seymour), can be placed above the grass! The danger here is that Seymour can hide in the grass, and when the player runs in the grass Seymour feeds! The easiest way to get away from Seymour is to run underneath him!
An example of Vegetation Mutilation:
speedy9876-this tactic gives level's alot of creativism (if that's even a word)
Entry
Level Obstacle: The Fire Bars of DOOM!!! AKA
Smokey!!!!!!
The normal fire bar is an enjoyable and often challenging level obstacle!
But when too many of them are placed too close together it is a receipe for disaster! Fire bars must be spaced apart to allow passage of the player. Rember only YOU can prevent forest fires! Play test all of your levels! (i had alot of complaints about the beast hahaha)
Only You can prevent forest fires!!!
This obstacle may be considered impossible so don't put too many fire bars there. If you put too many fire bars there the level will lag as well
Entry
Level Scenerio: FOR SPARTA!!! (level by Kira)
My good friend Kira made a purely awesome level! Unfortunatly when Kira posted the level other users gave it a bad and easy rating becasue there was a very quick and easy shortcut in the begining of the level! The lesson of the story is when making a level be sure to check for any easy ways out!
The Level with King Ledidous!
Entry
Level Obstacle: Paratrooper Forest (Level made by speedy9876)
This level is located in bests. The Obstacle is using the Flying Paratroopers as a bridge to jump across! This is an awesome idea becasue not only is it challenging, but it often can be used to prevent the player from gettting back to where they started!
It makes the player look like they are flying!
Cape Not Included!
if you're really good with doing this obstacle you can make it so they have to time the paratroopa
Entry
Level Obstacle: A Bunch of Shells AKA Singing in the rain!
The idea is that the spiny shell fall like rain. It is ideal that the player gets under them before they fall. It is fun when these are used and the spinies chase u through the level!
Singing in the rain!
speedy9876-This obstacle may also be treated as spam so it's best not to use it unless you know how to
Entry:
Level Obstacle: Level- Outisde The Cave 3 (by Yaranzo)
This is one of my favorite levels! In one of the major concepts presented by this level is a timing idea. The star is used as a timing device! The player has to get to the next stat before the plants get you!
YAY FOR STAR POWER!!!
Entry[/b
[b]Level Obstacle: Level-Outside The Cave 3 (by Yaranzo) -Yellow brick Jump ladder!
Countiuing on the idea that the player has the star power and is being timed in that sense, it only makes sense that the maker put some obstacles in the way! A good one is this, the standard yellow brick jump ladder! The idea is to hit the bottom one and then keep jumping until it closes uderneath you! The joy of the star powered one! is that you can put a plant underneath it and hope you don't land on it when the star runs out! Its a fun concept! speedy9876- Also to mention you can do it without the plant as well 
things posted in green are posted by me, speedy9876
L gave me permission to help this guide
stickied on 7/3/08If you need any more help just play the level's in the best level's section and have a look at the ideas from there
Entry:
Level Obstacle: Fire Lanes!
The idea here is to offer the player a chocie, typically one out of four. Either one of the four "lanes" will shrink the player, or one out of the four will allow the player to continue with the level! Sometimes coins are used to indicate the correct path, and then again sometimes coins are used to indicate the wrong path! Playing levels with this type of trao takes time!
An example:
Entry:
Level Obstacle: The Fire Path! Level-Flamer Forest (level by speedy9876
The idea here is one of my favorite! Use the flames at random times to make the player run away and have to go back over old obstacles from a different side! The Panic is excerelrating! but remeber
DON'T PANIC!!!
 [/b]
Entry:
Danger Assesement: Oak Forest!- (Level made by Yaranzo)
This entry is about a very important skill! DANGER ASSESMENT!!! This skill is actually useful in all things! it allows the player to prioritize the what is happening in the level and deal with it! Here it is color coded for priotiy! again DONT PANIC!!!
UPDATE: 3/8/08
Entry:
Level Obstacle: Bullet Bills!
Level: Think Fast (made by LegendOfNikkonolasco)
Ah the wonders of bullet bills! so very use full in oh so he player many ways! In this level they are used as a timing aspect. The player must out run them! as an added bonus this level is all about picking the right path!
The player must keep a cool head and remeber DONT PANIC!
UPDATE 3/9
Entry: (HOORAY FOR VERSION 3.0!)
Level Obstacle: Thriller!
With the new zoombies in the version three several new things can be possible! Thriller comes to mind! In fact, if the Bones are lined up (much like in thriller) the player can jump on them to cross obstacles such as lava! (note it dosnt work for plants)
This is THRILLER!
Entry:
Level Scenery: Houses/Malls
Level: Mini Mall Dash -Level made by rstar_1995
With the dawn of V.3.0 New interactive enviroments are open for the player to explore! Houses and Malls and other buildings can now be entered through the use of doors and pipes! I wonder how long before Bowser goes from king of the koopas to king of condos!
FOR RENT:
UPDATE 3/10
Entry:
Level Warp:
level:[u] SMB2(J) level 2-2 (level By jdaster64)[/u]
]Yes its true, if you PM with a cool level, and i like it, i will add it to the guide so be creative! In this level there is a hidden warp platform! Can anyone see it? This is a cool thing that can be done, the warp zones do not have to be the traditonal doors or pipes but can now be put anywhere!
HAVE FUN TRYING TO FIND THEM!
Entry:
Level: Thingy (yes so very ambigious)
Level: Forest Fortress II level (by jdaster64)
WOW is all i can say to this. No not World of Warcraft (oops i just drooled a little bit on my keyboard ) This is the very distracting, and completley harmless fire bolts going past as soon as the level starts. The in no way could harm the player unless the player intetionally reacts and tries to run into them at the start of the game. The purpose they serve is to distract the player and make the player panic.
WOW
Entry:
Level:Thingy again ( i need better names for these things)Level: Hotel Horror (Level made by Bowser's Level Designer)
Woot! This level rocks! The Thwomp can be used like the plants to prevent the player from going through with still being big!
HAHAHAHAHA KANIGITS!
Entry:-Speedy9876
Choose the path
what you can do is you can place 2 or more flags near the end and make warps to get to them both
an example is my level haunted cavern 
You can now place more than one flag at the end of a level!
Kind of reminds me of
MINATURE GOLF!
Entry:
Warp Pipe/Door Maze
this consists of a choice of doors. Choose the right door to progress to the next challenge
If you enter the wrong door you go back to a previous challenge
If you enter the right door you go to the next challenge
level 10 on the 1 player game does this 
This reminds me of those old dating shows!-L
Entry:
Level Obstacle: Afro! (ghost circle)
The idea is to create a platform and then surround it with Boos, using a warp point to get the player in the middle. The player then has to get to the next warp point, while the boos slowly close in on the player while the player tries to reach the next point. It is fun and good for panic.
AFRO POWER!!!
Entry:
Level Skill: Analysis
Yaranzo-the first arrow from the left: shows phrianna plant.the player cannot walk on that tile.
SEcond arrow shows twomp:
Cannot walk on that tile, and when jumped close to, hurts.
third arrow: koopa, if player doesn't move fast, the koopa will kill you. this can also help with killing the twomp in your way.
4th arrow shows invisble block:
when the player jumps to get onto the fall platform, if he jump under the block, it will cause him to fall.
5th arrow:
shows fall platform. this will make the player have to run to the next tile, or safety zone.
PROVIDED HIS OWN PIC!!! Makes my life easyer!
Enrtry:
Level Stuff: Scenery- Wacky!
Yaranzo-Remember, mods and level raters love scenery! it attracts them to play more and more. this should give you an idea of what scenery is and how it can be used in different ways.Remember, there is no barrier saying that you cannot make wacky scenery!
PROVIDED OWN PIC FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE!!! hahahahaha
Entry:
Level: Fort Wars (Level made by Happyman!!)
This is a fun level! It is called fort wars! sometimes it is fun to make a level that is most enjoyable when using a fire flower! you can make use of platforms to take down the koopas! its realllly fun!
Castles!
Entry:
Level Music:
Yaranzo-Sound:
Set music 1: This is more for a easy level.A land scenery should be good for this.
Set music 2: This is more a challenging level. Mostly filled with lots of scenery. This is good for a Forest background.
Set music 3: This is more for a challenging level and a fun one. THis is most commonly used for land and snow level.
Set music 4:this is more for a fun level. Mostly used in a forest and snow level.
Set music 5: this is for those challenging levels. Mostly for cave and castle levels. Also for the ghost levels.
Set music 6: This is for a hard challenging. mostly for a castle and ghost level.
Set music 7: this is for those "racy" levels, where the player has to run A LOT! bullet bill runs mostly. Also for a fun and tricky levels. Mostly land, snow and forest
Set Music 8: This is one of the boringest tunes... This is for those slow newcomer levels..Mostly for land and snow i would think.
L-American Idol!
Entry:
Level Scenry: Fan
Yaranzo Key:
Red: shows fire bar. this means that if the player doesn't move from the spot, he will get fried
Blueish red(again im kinda lazy..): Shows scenery used to hold the castle.
Yellow: used to hold the castle in a different way.(comes back to wacky scenery
)
Greenish red(lazy..again..) shows block almost hidden inside the castle.(note: the castle thing is walk trough.., the brick isn't.)
purple-pink/red: shows a kind-of fan that i made.(the top is the holder, the bark is the part of the fan the comes out, and the fire bar is the moving fan, smart! )
Entry:
Level Scenery:
Key:
Yaranzo BLue: shows fire bars. THe first one(from the left) shows the previous part of the level.(u have to jump on the bars to complete that part!)the other part requires you to hit the yellow block to get the mushroom, but it is e and enters back in, this stuck, so u will have to go back, and get it from the sides, but the fire bar might cause you to die.
Red: first one requires the player to give up a mushroom, or get past that line before your star power runs out! the second one shows a plant (move up and down) that moves in a pipe can trick people to jump on the pipe, and then die if they didn't see the plant before. THe third one is just some nice wacky scenery.
Yellow: This shows the koopas. This means that if the player doesn't move fast enough, or dodge the shell, the player will die
Green: shows a mushroom block.(read the one for blue to understand fully)
Entry:
Level: Scenery!
The pipes are calling...! o yes the wonders of version three allow all sorts of new pipe style scenery!
Cloverfield!
 [/b]
Also to mention this is a big update to people who want to make 'pipe cities'
ENTRY:
thwomp timing
you can have loads of thwomps all stacked on top of each other and when they fall it looks like they're a single thwomp, Then the player has to jump over the thwomp before it goes up again
L-it makes me go AHHHH!!! (by the way the picture is not beatable)
Entry:
Level: journey to the center of the earth (level by glitchblaster555)
This level and this concept is soooooo cool! It is a new way to use warps! why only go side to side or between a bonus zone and main level? You can now go up and down! It rocks!
Up And Down!
Entry:
Level: Ghost Maze (level made by JimmyDale)
This makes me laugh! soo close but so far away from the end! This is a fun technique! You put the flag near the start and make the player go through the level!
YAY!
Entry:
Level:Ol' Salad Mix (level by Gamer_Mason)
Whee something alll the way from level one! its good to go back to the old school! and they had kool traps like this one!
Entry:
Level: The Quest For The Blue Goomba Continues
(Level made by bloocarver1)
This is a fun level and it has an interesting story line! The trick here is again deception! By getting the player used to feeling safe near the thwomps, the level maker can trick the player by then having a thwomp that can move!
Decpetion!
Backgrounds:
Land: Land level's are considered easy so to trick people try to make a hard land level
Blocks that can go with land: land, forest and pipe blocks are the best for this kind of background
L-Birds!
Cave: Cave level's can range through difficulty. Land level's are easier but Castle and Ghost level's are harder.
Blocks that can go with cave: Cave blocks mainly. There are others but you have to find them out yourself
L-MOLE!
Forest: Forest level's are all about scenery. Forest level's can range from easy (land) to medium (cave) difficulty
Blocks that can go with forest: Forest blocks and most of the scenery blocks
L-STAR WARS!
Castle: Castle level's are generally supposed to be really hard. Make an easy castle level to fool people
Blocks that can go with castle: lava and castle blocks. Ghost blocks can also go with castle
L-CAMELOT!
Snow: Snow level's are a bit like land level's but a bit harder. Mainly used at christmas time. Can also like like night background
Blocks that can go with snow: land and snow blocks are good for this
L-SNOW!
Ghost: V3.0 background. Ghost level. Easier than castle level's but they are still quite hard. Boo's are used in ghost level's
Blocks that can go with ghost: lava and ghost blocks mainly.
L-VINCENT PRICE!!!
Special background types
Sewers: Use castle background and add in the ghost block that looks a bit like a brick block
Night: Snow background but with land tyles on the floor
Pipe land: a level built out of horizontal and vertical pipes
Christmas: Land background with snow tyles
Entry:
Level: Good Egg Galaxy (level made by Bowser's Level Designer)
Not only does this level make excelent use of the warp pipes but it also uses doors and homemade warps to create depth and an enviroment that the player can lose themself in! Also! The doors actully lead to the inside of buildings!
Inside!
GUEST:King_kid64
Entry:
Level Obstacle: High Jump!
You can land on something if its 4 tiles high, but you can bounce off enemys at 5. In the green path, you press 2 buttons & you're done. Take the red path, you'll have to jump, look at the Boos, land, wait for an instant, jump again, run away. There are many uses for 5-tile-bounce, this is just one of them. Color coded for priority (red path only).
Note: You could also use fireballs, but that would just make it harder, no green path.....
Entry:
Level: Warp Malfunction made by jdaster64 ( A new Guide Writer!)
The basic 'wall warp':
Entry:
Level: Warp Malfunction made by jdaster64
The cannon warp (looks like a miniature pipe when small Mario/Luigi!):
 [/quote]
Entry:
Level: Pit of 100 Trials Series by iSergi
Love the Paper Mario imitation here! A great example of imitating a non-platforming mario game in a level!
Entry: FINALLLLY YOSHI!!! (April Fools!)
Level: A pick-a-door sample layout, inside and out.
1. Sends you to a cramped room with a goomba, most likely instant death.
2. Cape and Yoshi egg! YESSSS!!!! (do not actually exist in the game)
3. Fire Flower. Good but not best selection.
Yellow path = good.
Perhaps you could put a "hint" somewhere earlier in the level (such as a hill pointing up at a lava tyle, a ?block tyle, and a coin in that order.)
Most of my levels have subtle "hints" like these as for which paths to take in a cannon/fire trap. (e.g. Warp Malfunction, look for suspicious lava tyles and coins surrounded in blocks.)
Entry: 50th post!
Level: 50th post!
YAY! 50 posts thank you everyone!
50 posts in under a month!
And heres to many more months!
NOTE: I just wanted to add this in as I wanted to say I know how to make video's now so expect to be seeing some of them in the guide.
TO L: PM me if you want me to make video's of the entries that are already on this guide
Entry: jdaster64
Level: Warp Malfunction 2: Land of Unexpected Warps by jdaster64
This shows an example of using TYLE105 (castle door bottom tyle) to give the player the impression that he is trapped in a box of sorts... (it looks even cooler with a land background for contrast!)
This is also one of roughly 20 warps in the level that result in coming to this inexitable room. I will post an example "bad warp" soon... along with the correct path.
Entry:Level: Warp Malfunction 2 (again) by jdaster64
(blue= Mario's paths, pink= warp paths)
Here's an example of a totally unexpected warp. Holding "up" to jump will result in going into a bad warp, while falling and holding right will actually warp you to the next section.[/quote]
Entry:
Level: Ping Pong by swoph
This is difficult to pull off but fun when it works! by pressing up an to the side (the right in this case) the player can jump up and hit an invisble block and glide right over the spinys!
WHEE GLIDING!!!
Entry: Triple Attack
Level: Cave machine: Full series by speedy9876
If you jump on the green paratroopa at the perfect time you will hit it 3 times, it will hit the thwomp, and you can pass through.
PWNAGE TO THE GREEN PARATROOPA
Entry: Travelling shells
Level: Megabowsers fort entrance by speedy9876
Hit the red koopa and do a series of things including hit the shell to push it through tiny gaps, hit flip boxes and invisiblocks and more to get the red koopa shell to hit the thwomp so you can proceed through the level
[url=http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z299/mew1000/?action=view¤t=clip0171.flv] [/url]
56: The Return of L!
Level Made By Happyman
Happyman!! wrote: title:The hold right levels
level:Right to the end 3
info:Only hold right!!!
Entry: By Mr.L (not thats the same as "L")
Mr.L wrote: Obstacle: Stannah Stairlift
Level: Escape from the 6th Dimen by Mr.L
Information: This obstacle shows a "bullet lift" with an UP platform threating certain doom. The thing is, you need to realise when it's safe (usually by trial and error) to pass it. In my setup it shows a possible safe time, but a bullet will probably kill you. Depending on the lift's setup, the danger can vary. In my level you had to wait until the lift made 6 cycles to pass it. This is a good obstacle for a level that seems like it has an easy beginning, as they warp, this monsterous obstacle stands in thier way. Once you've perfected this trap, a nice rate might come to you.
Entry: By L
Level: From Night to Fright (Now in the Bests section) by caperguy
Info: Woot! im back! Caperguy had sent me this level before i left and only now just got to it! It is a most refreshing level! So full of warps right from the get go! It was a good challenge to! It took me about 5 mins to find this warp! it was clearverly hidden in invisble blocks! Now hidding warps can be a bit anoying at times, espically when their is an over load of villians, or you have just been going through loop after loop of warp. But in the begining of a level when everything is nice and calm, it can be a joy to find a hidden warp!
Horray for Warping!  Last edited by L on Sun Jun 15, 2008 3:19 am, edited 89 times in total. Maker of "THE GUIDE!" Approved Levels: Independence Day! The Beast! Best Levels: The Beast! AKA GODZILLA!!! 
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