Submission for the SMM-GAF Community Contest #1
Simple Beginnings - (C73D-0000-0048-ECD1)
Warning: Incoming small essay
As I made this level I actually went back and watched Egoraptor's Mega Man X video just to get myself in the proper mindset for how I wanted to approach designing this. Firstly, I built my 1-1 around the idea that the person playing this has played little to no Mario 3 in his or her life. So over the course of the level I try to put the player in situations where they will learn the basic tools needed for Super Mario Bros 3 and rewarding them for learning. Then the final screen or so of the level is a final test to make sure they have the basics down.
The first thing presented to the player is the standard lone Goomba, a generally nonthreatening enemy which puts the player in the position of learning how to avoid/destroy the enemy (jumping). Since jumping is the first and most simple thing a player should learn for playing Mario, immediately following the Goomba I present them with a question block and two semi-solid platforms with coins on them, followed up by a small gap they need to jump over. This shows the player the benefits of jumping in these games; to learn that question blocks hold items, to show them what a power up is, to climb terrain, and to avoid pitfalls.
Following this the player confronts a Koopa Troopa, the objective here is to show the player that jumping onto a Koopa allows you to pick up and kick their shell around to destroy blocks. There are two Koopas and two things that the Koopas can be kicked into; the first is a standard brick block which is destroyed when the Koopa shell hits it (showing the player that these can be destroyed), and the second thing is a question block holding a 1-up. Since we've already established that question blocks hold good things, the player should be drawn to the question block and want to see what's in it.
The next portion of the course first presents the player with a standard green pipe. If the player attempts to go down the pipe they'll be sent to a sub room with a large amount of coins in it (again, rewarding for learning). The exit pipe returns them to the same part of the main world. From here the player is then presented with a question block that gives you the Racoon Leaf, which three brick blocks stacked on the ground next to where this question block is. Since the player has never seen the racoon tail power up before, they're going to be interested to know what this power up does and ideally should learn that hitting the appropriate button does the tail swipe attack. Since the player has then learned what a breakable brick block is, they'll hopefully attempt to use the tail swipe attack on the three stacked blocks next to them. The bottom brick of the three contains coins, rewarding the player again and also letting them know that brick blocks can also hold things as well. Now with this knowledge instilled, the player will hopefully attempt to tail swipe the two brick blocks above it. If they successfully hit the top brick it will trigger a vine to rise up into the sky, which the player can climb up to find a cloud platform which holds coins and a 1-up question block as a reward for successfully learning the tail swipe. This also puts the idea in the players head that there may things higher up in the sky that are out of their initial field of view.
Once the player returns back to the ground the next thing they'll face are a couple of winged Koopas followed by a long gap that cannot be crossed by a standard jump. It can only be crossed by doing a full running jump. The ground before this gap is long runway to get the player up to speed for the jump. Assuming the player hasn't lost their raccoon tail yet, which they shouldn't have because their jumping stuff from before should prepare them for the Koopas, when they make it up to full speed for the jump they should be able to take off and fly. There is a trail of coins leading them upwards and hopefully some natural curiosity should take them up there as well given that we've already shown them one secret "upper level" section. Up in this second secret area, there's a series of coins and a pipe that leads to a sub world. The room the player goes to via the pipe contains a few 1-up question blocks, which is their ultimate reward for flying up to that whole area initially.
After the player leaves this next bonus room they'll reach an area that's basically the final test of the level. They have to avoid some goombas and koopas and a gap in order to make it to the end of the level.
That's my 1-1 entry. I do give out a good chunk of 1-ups and coins, but my intention of this as a first level is to not discourage the player in the event that they fail to learn something and I also want them to feel excited going forward because "yeah, look at all these lives I managed to get!". The whole point of my level is built around teaching the player and leaving them excited to continue onward with the game.
