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« krotomo's Blog There are many non-working links in this guide so sorry about that. Copied from http://smfextraforums.atfreeforum.com/user-made-levels-f8/level-aesthetics-guide-l-a-g-by-xyrz-t347.html This Is a Guide Made By Xyrz, I Got As much of it as i could find, I COuldn't Manage to get the level codes part. But This Part i have is good. Thanks To Xyrz For This Guide, None of the credit goes to me. Welcome to my Level Aesthetics Guide (LAG), I am writing this guide because I feel that many lack the essentials skills of making good looking levels. I hope that this guide will be beneficial to those who need help in this department. As you know, I am Xyrz, pronounced "Zai-erz", that is the internet alias I use most when interacting with others online. Here in the Super Mario Flash Community, I have only been here since July of 2008, So I am fairly new (from when I posted this guide), but I am well known now for my "Xyrz Reviews", but also I am a solid level designer, with a good sense of how to make levels look nice. So with no further ado, let's get this guide rolling. Table of Contents 1 - Floors A - The art of "Capping" B - Floor Foundations C - Uneven Terrain D - Avoid Stacking E - Don't be a Mix Master 2 - Platform tiles A - The Odd Rule B - The Even Rule C - Symmetry and Asymmetry D - "Capping" Platforms E - Wall Mounted Platforms F - The "Shadow" Pillar G - Avoid Stacking 3 - Pipes A - Green or White? don't be a Mix Master B - Intersections C - "Capping" Pipes 4 - Lava A - Floating Lava B - "Capping" Lava 5 - Platforms A - Avoid Overlapping B - Only use what you need 6 - Scenery A - Having just the right amount B - Floating scenery C - Grass D - Fences E - Trees F - More on Pillars 7 - Castle Scenery A - "Capping" Castles B - Using "Shadows" C - Battlements D - Windows & Doors 8 - Miscellaneous 9 - Themes 10 - Level Comparisons 11 - Extras 1 - Floors Spoiler: Floors are important, for obvious reasons, but just having a floor is not enough. It must be a good looking floor. Don't insult Mario by forcing him to walk on an ugly floor, how can you do that to everyone's favorite Italian plumber. 1A - The art of "Capping" Capping, is a term I am going to use to describe the use of "end pieces". End pieces are simply the floor tiles that end your floor. You use these on ALL of your edges, this is very important. The pictures are a visual aid to help you understand exactly what I am talking about. Other "stand alone" tiles can help you "cap" your floors properly. Also, don't use a floor tile by itself,it looks bad, use a "stand alone" or double up and use two end pieces back to back. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 1_1876.jpg 1B - Floor Foundations Now sometimes, your floors are raised, or placed above the ground level, this editor however does not come with "under" pieces to "cap" the bottoms of your floors. This is where you use "foundations" to build floors off of. Like in the pictures, use your "stand alone" tiles to build a platform for your floor, then apply the floor on top, don't forget to use your end pieces. Never float your floors, I know the Main Game does this, but just don't do it, it looks better with a foundation. A lot of times you make overhangs from the grass/sand floor and stone floor tiles, this is fine as long as you "cap" your exposed under sides, otherwise, it is ugly, or uglier. Finally, a lot of you build tight spaces, remember that if you are using floor tiles, they must have a foundation in order to look good, or better. This can be the tricky part, because the foundation is an extra row of tiles, you will need your level to accommodate for this, sometimes it will seem like you don't have the room for it. In most cases you will have room for it, just rearrange your level until it works, however, there are times when it just will not work. When that happens, remember to use a different tile that's "stand alone", your level will look better. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 2_2366.jpg 1C - Uneven Terrain In this section, all I am going to say it that flat terrain is very boring. There are a few scenarios where it might be necessary, but in most cases, it is not. So if you are going to have empty space in your level for any very strange reason, please at least make it uneven. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 3_2887.jpg 1D - Avoid Stacking This is a controversial section in my opinion, because honestly, when you stack floor tiles, it doesn't look half bad sometimes. but in most cases, I think it is kind of ugly. This I leave up to you, I wouldn't do this, but for some, this can be a viable option, just always remember to properly "cap" every floor tile you put down. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 4_3197.jpg 1E - Don't be a Mix Master Throwing random tiles together is a bad level design practice. It is ugly by nature, and is in most cases, nonsensical, and confusing. The first example is pretty extreme, but a lot of designers do "mix" tiles together without being so random, and instead, try to create some sort of "half and half" creation. It is also common to see level designers "mix" floor tiles into the ground or wall to create an "indication" for a hidden warp. This looks very ugly, and also looks very unnatural. Separate the floors from one another and properly "cap" them, I also recommend using real pipes for your warps. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 5_3526.jpg 2 - Platform Tiles Spoiler: 2A - The Odd Rule The odd rule is essential to making good looking platforms. If the pillar is to be in the exact center of the platform, you must make the platform an "odd" number of tiles wide, so that it is symmetrical. Platforms that follow this simple rule, will look better. 2B - The Even Rule It is not every case where you get the luxury of using the odd rule for all your platforms, in which case, there is the even rule to help you out. When your platform is an even number of tiles wide, two pillars must be used, since there is no real middle point with an even number. Maintaining platform symmetry is key. 2C - Symmetry and Asymmetry Some may not actually know what symmetry is. So here is the dictionary definition of what symmetry is defined as: The correspondence in size, form, and arrangement of parts on opposite sides of a plane, line, or point; regularity of form or arrangement in terms of like, reciprocal, or corresponding parts. What this means is that one side of an object must be an exact mirror image or replica of its other opposite side(s). In this case, I will use line symmetry, which deals with one half of some object being an exact mirror image of its opposite half, when you draw an imaginary line through the object's center. When making a platform, maintaining symmetry of the platform is the best way to make it look as aesthetically pleasing as possible. If you do not do this, your platform is considered asymmetrical, or not symmetric, and has a higher chance of looking ugly. Since this is a guide on making a good looking level, I highly recommend you make your platforms symmetrical. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 0_5754.jpg 2D - "Capping" Platforms Just like capping floors, you also must cap your platforms, in order for them to look good, or better. Use the proper end pieces to cap each side of your platform, your level will look better this way. Do not use a platform tile by itself, because you cannot properly cap a platform one tile in width, use at least two tiles when making a platform. 2E - Wall Mounted Platforms Having a platform protrude out from a wall is a viable option when trying to make platforms, so as long as you properly cap your platforms. Since it is "attached" to a wall, the use of pillars is optional, though I highly recommend you do use them. 2F - The "Shadow" Pillar This refers to the pillar tile that has a "shadow" on it, or for the mushroom pillar tile, has the zigzag crack. These tiles are meant to be placed directly underneath the platform, and there they will go, because it simply looks good that way. It is easy too use the "shadow" tile repeatedly on the same pillar, or not use one at all, avoid this, as it is fairly ugly. 2G - Avoid Stacking Stacking platform tiles can be potentially good looking, but in most cases, it looks bad, I still leave the option up to you, if you feel it looks good, then by all means, go for it. The main thing is is that you need to "cap" all your platforms. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 1_6193.jpg 3 - Pipes Spoiler: Pipes are very important in any Mario game. They are warp points that allow Mario to travel very quickly around Mushroom Kingdom. It is important you use pipes to indicate where a warp point is in any level. So with the use of pipes, we must also make them look good. 3A - Green or White? Don't be a Mix Master Too often I see people creating multicolored pipes, that is, they use green pipe tiles in conjunction with white pipe tiles. You can create a number of patterns doing this, but ultimately, they all end up looking kinda bad, the only time they truly look okay, is when you have a VERY VERY colorful level, and that's your intended theme. But for most, and I mean most cases, I highly recommend the pipes are to be one color. Green or White? It's your choice. 3B - Intersection This editor allows you to actually join pipes together. Which is a good thing when you do it the right way. However, there are a lot of ways to make your pipes look messy, and unorganized. Flushing pipes to the side of the pipe is bad pipe design, people do this to save space, but I can assure you, you can always make room for a good looking pipe, you just have to work with your level and make adjustments, you will find a solution. Making elbow pieces is a bad practice too, using a block to make up for the lack of corner pieces looks bad, to be honest, it is best to just make the intersection and "cap" the stray side. Crossing pipes over each other is bad in general, especially since you can just intersect them so easily. The main thing is, don't jury-rig your pipes, as you can see by the example it just looks messy. Instead just simply join the pipes together as they were meant to be, it's that simple really. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 2_6617.jpg 3C - "Capping" Pipes "Capping" pipes is important for good level aesthetics, because you need to give your pipe a foundation to rest on. Otherwise, your pipe will "float", and floating is bad, mainly because it looks strange, or out of place. If you have intersections with stray sections, cap them off. So just remember to always "cap" your pipes no matter what, alter your level to accommodate this, and never resort to hidden warps. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 3_7117.jpg 4 - Lava Spoiler: Lava is a very useful tile in this game, it delivers instant death on contact, whether you are big or small, this is a very useful tile for stopping rooftop shortcuts from happening. It is a good obstacle with many uses, but I have to write an entire chapter on this because it is used and abused the wrong way. 4A - Floating Lava This is a growing issue, Especially with newer users. But using lava in midair is bad, never "float" lava in midair. Floating lava, is what many call "spammy", it is also ugly, and messy looking. It doesn't look natural at all, and it is annoying too. Lava will ALWAYS look better if you sit it on top of tiles, period. So what I want you to get out of this section is NEVER "float" lava, EVER! No excuses. 4B - "Capping" Lava The most important thing is that you "cap" the sides of your lava, never leave your lava sides exposed, it looks bad. The picture that I created shows examples of how to "cap" lava properly. Best case scenario, is that you cap both sides and bottom, and square off your tiles, as shown by the lower left example, its if you can't add the corner tiles, just make sure you have the sidesand bottom capped. Though not recommended, if your only option is to cap the sides, then even that does not look so bad, as shown by the upper right example. But do not leave your lava sides "uncapped", EVER. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 4_7378.jpg 5 - Platforms Spoiler: The platforms I'm referring to in this section are the moving or movable girders under the "objects" tab in the editor. Platforms are useful, because they have a number of different behaviors, but also you jump through them from underneath them. This chapter though won't cover what they do or how you can apply them, this only deals with how they look in a level. 5A - Avoid Overlapping This is not a big issue at all, really, but basically overlapping platforms side by side should only be done if your level truly needs it, otherwise, just make sure they don't overlap. 5B - Only use what you need This can be a problem sometimes, usually newer users will tend to thrown in a lot of unnecessary platforms, If you are going to use platforms in your level, use as few platforms as possible to get the job done. this is really all that needs to be addressed with platforms. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 5_5447.jpg http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 6_5892.jpg 6 - Scenery Spoiler: This is the section you have all been waiting, The meat and potatoes of my guide starts in this chapter. As you know, scenery, is referring to the intangible background tiles in this editor, such as grass tiles, fence tiles, and tree tiles, as well as pillar tiles, and castle tiles. This chapter will cover avoiding excessive amounts of scenery, midair scenery, and all the scenery tiles. 6A - Having just the right amount of scenery can actually make all the difference, too many people are promoting "The More Scenery, The Better" philosophy, and as sometimes having a lot of scenery makes a level look good, sometimes users, and especially newer, more inexperinced users, will simply throw too much scenery into the level, to the point where it is extremely ugly, and confusing. Too much of anything is not good, scenery included. Now in my examples, I show the difference between some scenery, and possibly too much scenery. Filling up your screen from top to bottom with scenery is not necessary. It is my style to be more "traditional" with scenery, that is, trees, grass, and fences only sit on top of floors cover the empty ground. I will talk more about this in the next section coming up. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 7_6197.jpg 6B - Floating Scenery Floating Scenery is when you "float" a scenery tile in midair, and is usually nonsensical in application, or just really ugly. The images that I have made show some basic examples of how to use and how not to use scenery. Usually floating scenery is a resul of wanting to fill your level with tiles so that you can avoid scenery demerits, but it ends up making your level confusing and cluttered. I do not recommend you float scenery, I am sure there are certain applications to floating scenery, but there is a difference between that and just doing it to fill up your level. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 9_7039.jpg http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 8_6642.jpg 6C - Grass The grass tile is very cool because it is animated, as if it were blowing in the wind. It's a good way to make your level look lush with vegetation, but it's when you use this tile too much, or you don't "Cap" the ends off with grassy end pieces. Make sure you always "cap" your grass off with end pieces, or mount one or both sides to a wall, so as long as you don't expose the sides. Also many of you enjoy floating scenery, but grass is just plain ugly, when you spam it in midair, either checkerboard, or a solid grass background, or any other combination/pattern used in this manner. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 7_2818.jpg 6D - Fences This is probably the most easily spammed tile in the game, the fence can make any level look great, but it is used too liberally at times, making it a problem. They stack pretty well, and you can make a decent "ladder" out of them, sometimes making that ladder into a warp. Fences can be easily stacked and also create "grids" and "cages" fairly well. But in most applications, making a cage or a grid looks kinda ugly. As for making ladders, they can actually look pretty cool, but you must do them right, and use them very very sparingly, it is also probably the ONLY hidden warp that I don't mind so much. Never create sideways ladders, this is extremely ugly, and also very annoying, in terms of "activating" the warp, use a PIPE instead, trust me, it looks better, and functions better. My only advice is to be careful with fences, and don't put too many into a level, and do not float them in midair for no reason. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 8_3229.jpg 6E - Trees Trees refer to the tiles that make up a Super Mario tree, the best looking trees in my opinion are the ones that are constructed normally, that is a trunk with a oval tree bush on it. Variations start to get ugly, but some are alright, such as upside down trees, and using a fence tile as part of the branch is somewhat okay. I do not recommend using small bush tiles to create clouds, it just looks bad. Trying to use pipes as a part of a tree or cloud is also a bad habit, sometimes, you can get away with it, but for the most part, I do not recommend doing this, it will most likely turn out messy, and ugly. Always avoid using only half a tall bush tile, it never looks good by itself. I see this sometimes, but putting half a bush on a pillar just doesn't look good in my opinion, I don't know why you would do this, so I'm just going to say no. Don't be a Mix Master either, the half green, half white tree looks weird, so avoid it. So basically what I am trying to say is being too creative with any scenery is unecessary (I'm not saying don't be creative, just make sure what you create is going to add to your level as a whole), scenery should be used as a supplement to your level, to give it more life and more spark so your level doesn't look bland, With all scener tiles, I recommend you just build scenery the way it was suppose to be built. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 9_3670.jpg 6F - More on Pillars Pillars are mainly used to support your "platform" tiles, but one thing that I see way to much is using them as a wallpaper for sections of your level. Normally this should be fine, but it is when you put "gaps" into your pillars is when it looks really bad. In the example shown, it looks okay in the editor as long as the enemies are in place, but when you actually play the game, the enemies move around and holes are left on you pillar wallpaper, this is extremely ugly, because essentially your leaving your pillars "disconnected". You need to find a way around this at all costs to your level. A trick that you can pull with pillars is creating the effect that one pillar is sitting behind a platform, just be careful when you try to go behind an end piece, it doesn't look bad, but it will give a slight "disconnected" look. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 0_4037.jpg 7 - Castle Scenery Spoiler: Castle scenery refers to the castle tiles that make up the brown brick fortress we all know from the Super Mario Bros. series. On the editor though, you can alter the tiles around to build different looking castles and fortresses, which can enhance the way your levels look overall. 7A - "Capping" Castles When it comes to "capping" a castle, just remember to tie all your loose ends, or in other words use your end pieces, and battlement tiles (castle rooftop tiles). Always use your end pieces, do not leave your castle wall "open". Solid blocks can create the effect of a castle coming out of a solid wall, as if it was a part of that wall. A lot of times, you are going to explore the different ways you can try to throw a castle together, just be careful how you assemble a castle, Do not make an ugly castle. When working around solid tiles, keep it sensible, and make sure every edge is "Capped" properly. Always remember this is a basic understanding of castle scenery development, there are many tricks that I will probably not cover, or not get around to, which is why I will provide examples of castle scenery from real levels. if you stick to the basics though, you won't have any problems. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 1_5026.jpg http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 2_5444.jpg 7B - Using "Shadows The "shadow" tiles are the tiles that have a "shadow" on them so that you can place them under battlement tiles and other tiles, these are very good at creating a more dynamic looking castle than if you weren't using these "shadow" tiles. You do however need to know when and how to use them. Do not stack "shadow" tiles, nor should you use them to make line patterns on the castle wall, this just looks really bad. You can decide to not use them at all, which is fine, but your castle won't look as dynamic. The bottom line is to use them only where they are needed, which is underneath battlement tiles and other solid tiles. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 3_5746.jpg 7C - Battlements I have mentioned this before, but I am going to say it again, battlements are referring to the "castle rooftop tiles" that you use as a roof for your castles, The word battlement itself, just so you understand why I will call these tiles battlement tiles, is defined as: A notched parapet built on top of a wall, with alternating merlons and crenels for decoration or defense. Well anyway, before I begin, there is a lot of leniency when it comes to castle building, meaning sometimes there is more than one way to make the castle look awesome. So when I give examples in this chapter, there may be different "variations" to making it look good. My examples are basic and simple to keep this chapter from being too long, because I do not want to write about every little aspect about castle building. Back to the topic, a good rule of thumb to go by is when your castle is LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 4 tiles in width, do not use the "sharply angled" (the rooftop tiles that look scrunched up) battlement tiles, using only the "slightly angled" battlement tiles to create your "wrap around" castle battlement, and remember to use the "end piece" battlement tile to "cap" off effect. When dealing with castles that are MORE THAN OR EQUAL TO 5 tiles in width, "cap" the ends of your battlement with 1 "end piece" battlement tile, 1 "sharply angled" battlement tile, and 1 "slightly angled" battlement tile, everything in between are "center" battlement tiles, I will show examples for this. The other thing you can do with battlement tiles is use them for "scenery" bridges and castle bridges, this is a great solution to battle floating scenery. It is easy to get sloppy with battlements, so keep it clean, and keep it as symmetrical as possible. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 4_6052.jpg 7D - Windows & Doors Windows and doors add more depth to your castle and also make your castle look more like an actual castle/fortress/building etc. The biggest thing about this, is don't put too many windows and/or doors into any particular structure you have created, too much is never a good thing, and this is no exception. All your doors and windows should have a archway tile on the top, either being alone by itself is fine, it looks better than trying to make rectangular doorways and windows. Don't stack archway tiles directly above or below each other, always give your windows proper spacing. Either or, you can opt to use a "shadow" tile directly underneath your window to give it some effect, but equally as good, you can decide to go without using the "shadow" tile underneath your windows. Also do not forget about the "corner window" tile, this tile is best used at the top corners of your castle wall, where you would use a "shadow" tile. Anywhere else and this tile will look bad. have fun making castles, but don't go overboard, if your going for a level that is good, your castle scenery needs to be equally as good. http://photos-188.ll.facebook.com/photo ... 5_6514.jpg 8 - Miscellaneous Spoiler: Thank you for reading my guide, there is still a few chapters to go, but this is the section where I will add ideas that you feel should be in this guide, anything you feel that I have missed, and I will write a section on it here. All you have to do is PM me the idea and I will review it and then add it (Not all ideas submitted will be added, only ones that are legitimate and that I feel should be added to the guide). Landotron's Suggestion: Rounded Edges Okay Landotron has PM'ed me this: Quote: Rounded Edges: As you may or may not have noticed, some tiles in the editor are rounded at the edges, which can pose some problems if you're adding scenery. In most cases, it's advised not to use flat scenery tiles on edges. This includes left edge grass tiles, tree trunk tiles, mushroom stems, and in caslte situations lava. You may have noticed that the grass only refers to left peices. The right pieces are farther over so it's easier to fit it on a rounded edge. Tiles with rounded edges include the forest floor "caps", Castle Tile "Caps", Tree tops and mushroom tops. They can easily be worked around as one tile less scenery will not make a difference to your level. However, having a tile that is hanging over the edge can harm your level. It's not usually that noticable, but for those who strive to create the "Perfect level" you may want to take this into account. One more problem that is a bit bigger in my oppinion, is ? Blocks and Pipe tiles. ? Blocks are rounded on both edges along with spin blocks and used ? blocks. If you're planning on placing flat scenery or ground tiles on it, you may want to reconsider. It will appear with a noticable gap under it, and can cause the level to look messy. On night and indoor backgrounds, it's not so noticable because of the dark backdrop. On light backgrounds it's very noticable. Pipes are also a really big problem sometimes. They aren't level with other ground tiles, and if you place another tile on top of them it will be "hovering" above the surface. It's also advised not to make Mario walk on top of pipe sides unless there's a dark background. Light background levels make the space between him and the pipe very noticable. You can add this to the guide, it's not essential. That's just a pet peev of mine in levels. What he is saying that tiles with rounded edges can cause a problem with flat scenery so you should avoid placing scenery on the edges of these tiles, because you will have "gaps" or a "disconnection" between the scenery tile and the solid tile. This occurs with pipe sides and "?" blocks as well. Here is an image to better paint what he is pointing out: http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak- ... 9_8587.jpg BrownCow's Suggestion: Attached FALL Platforms BrownCow wanted me to share his idea that you use tree trunk tiles as "rope" to attach objects and tiles from a ceiling, it's a nice touch to any level with a ceiling and goes along the same lines as upside down trees. So here is an image to show what he means: http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak- ... 5_4217.jpg JC Grim the 'crete reaper's Suggestion: Layering Pillars and Platforms JC has mentioned that layering mushroom and tree platforms over and behind each other is a good way to give your platforms depth. Since the sides of the platform tiles and pillar tiles are flush to the edge, it's visually okay to make a pillar stand in front of another platform. However, it is also creating a hole for Mario to fall through, but you can explore idea possibilities there. Here is an image explaining what he means: http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee23 ... 9/LAG1.png Also, you can create tree pillars by using castle scenery as your pillar, preferably 2-tile wide castle pillars, as this looks the most cylindrical (circular pole shaped) compare to wider bases. You can combine this idea with his previous thought of layering over other platforms too. Be sure to use the shadow tiles directly underneath the actual platform tiles. http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee23 ... 9/Lag2.png This is the level that features this concept. Tagged by JC and DJ. Level: Rainforest http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:Ei ... =firefox-a Frank15's Suggestion: Don't Float Bullet Launchers I received a PM from Frank15 mentioning how floating a bullet launcher in midair is a really bad practice, much like floating anything else in this editor. However, one reason why this is so common is because of the fact that users like to put a block over the lower half in the editor, thinking it will come out looking the same as it does in the editor. But it is fact that all monsters will take priority over regular tiles, so the bullet launcher comes out on top of the block, making it look ugly. This is also true with monsters like Lava balls, Boos, and the flames on the Firebars, you will notice they are always sitting "over" solid tiles. So do not put blocks over the lower half of a bullet launcher, not good. Also, pipe sides are not flush to the edge, so don't put floor tiles against a pipe side thinking that it is "capped" off, when in reality, it is not. "Cap" the floor off with an end piece please. Here is a picture that shows what he means: http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak- ... 2_8349.jpg XYRZ User Comments (8)
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