Events

Saturday March 16, 2013
Start: 4:00 pm
End: 6:00 pm

The Klik of the Month Klub meets right here on this very website on the third Saturday of every month at 4pm Pacific Time (taking daylight savings into consideration) for a two hour Klik & Play Showdown. Everyone who participates gets two hours to create something from scratch in Klik & Play. Abusing the stock objects is encouraged. If you really loathe Klik & Play you can use whatever game development platform you want. Two hours is a pretty tight time limit, though, so choose wisely!

Klik & Play is absolutely free to download, and learning it takes minutes, so everyone can get in on the action.

Want to talk to your fellow Klikwreckers? Join us on IRC -- server irc.freenode.net, channel #glorioustrainwrecks. We've also got a Mumble voice chat server -- just connect to glorioustrainwrecks.com using Mumble and you can talk to us like real human beings! Join the mayhem!

After you've made your game, you should upload it here!

For more information, check out the KotM N00B FAQ.

Sign up using the "Sign Up" tab above if you want to get reminded by email the day before the klikkening begins!

Sunday March 24, 2013
Start: 8:18 pm

A trustworthy: Expensive JACKIE: Gutter cleaning is both a hassle and an impressive safety issue. I know of an individual who died after falling from a ladder while cleaning gutters. Why risk injury when a product can be installed that would get rid of the need to get up and clean gutters?.

The wheels are actually the result of years Silica Sol Investment Casting Lost Wax of automotive design experience and hot rod building know how within reach of the designer. The wheePlunkettls are part of an artistic aesthetic of producing beautiful cars for people to drive and admire. Most people really enjoy them for the direction they enhance their cars.

Aluminum sand Casting3. Zinc oxide Die casting4. Sand throwing 5.. But you need to try out music Casting Part Various Casting Process Material theory and learn what notes aluminum castings are supposed to do. You're punching the open string on every other beat when your fingers are off the frets. It makes another sound essentially.

A high level of aluminum deposited in brain Die Casting Machine Plunger Piston Injection cells is strongly regarding Alzheimer's disease. Additional research is underway today to research further this correlation. Aluminum in our bodies will often harm the the particular body, Body and the kidneys

Monday March 25, 2013
Start: 6:00 am
End: 11:59 pm

We had a DooM event, so now it's time for a Wolf 3D event! Making maps for Wolf 3D is incredibly easy, so all are encouraged to take part! The plan is to put all the levels together to form a new episode or two, complete with a custom title screen!

general grettle ss2 officer2 guard2 hans2

So, what do you need?

1. A copy of Wolfenstein 3D. The shareware edition is fine, though the full version will give you more to play with.

2. A way to play Wolfenstein. You can use DOSBox if you wish, but there are also sourceports (I use NewWolf): http://top-sourceports.tsx.nl/wolfenstein-3d.html

3. An editor. I use Havoc's Wolf Editor. It's full-featured, easy to use and even includes built-in documentation and tutorials: http://hwolf3d.dugtrio17.com/index.php?section=hwe

4. If those tutorials are a bit too heady, here is a nice one that gives you the basics of Wolf 3D level design. It's for a different editor, but it's pretty much the same stuff: http://www.wolfenstein3d.co.uk/levels.htm And here is a very in-depth one: http://diehardwolfers.areyep.com/bunker/bjdesign.htm

5. Inspiration. Ellaguro wrote some great articles about Wolf 3D's level design, which could give you some good ideas. With some imagination, you can make something special in Wolf 3D, despite how limited it appears to be. http://ellaguro.blogspot.com.au/search/label/wolfenstein

READY...

FIGHT!

And by fight, I mean design levels.

This is a bit of a loose event. A few friends are hoping to have a LIVE JAM on the 25th, but that might not happen. Really, just add levels here and we'll put it together in an episode when we have enough/too many levels! You can even post levels you've previously made that you're proud of. Unless we reach 60 levels. Then we're screwed.

The final collection will likely use the full version of Wolfenstein, we'll just have to cut out all the official levels to avoid any piracy issues.

OH, one more thing. Please export your maps, so that you don't have to upload Wolfenstein 3D with your work. All the map files will be pulled together at the end of the event.

Tuesday April 2, 2013
Start: 12:00 pm
Start: 04/02/2013 - 12:00
End: 04/08/2013 - 00:00

In this event, we shall design levels for the Super Mario Bros. ROM! Much like the previous Knytt Stories events, this is centered around designing new environments and stories within a familiar and fondly regarded game engine.

I suggest you use this edited ROM for this event. I've edited it to be more gentle and Knytt-like in its sensibilities, and more conducive to different kinds of storytelling and playing. It has the following changes:

  1. Mario has unlimited lives and time.
  2. All score-related numbers are not displayed.
  3. Mario respawns from the last pipe or castle he popped out of, not the mid-way point. This means you can create a long level made of parts joined by pipe warps.

The editor we'll be using is SMB Utility (Windows native, but can work in WINE). It's a level editor that provides a lot of useful functionality, most notably possessing an emulator built right into the editor that lets you test levels as soon as you make them!

A slightly quick guide to SMB Utility:
There are two 'layers' to each level - the enemy layer and the block layer. Switch between them with the Shell icon and the Excavator icon in the toolbar.

Various high-level data:

  1. Edit the emulator's controls in "Configuration" in the Tools menu. (Select "Emulator" from the top-left dropdown menu.)
  2. "Edit Header" in the Edit menu lets you edit Mario's start position for this level, and the terrain foreground and background for the level. "Guns" means that Bullet Bill Blasters will replace tree platforms and mushroom platforms.
  3. "General Setting" in the Tools menu determines which world is the last world. When you collect an Axe in that world, the game ends. For a short hack, you'd want it to be world 1 (but don't change it yet - doing so will hide the remaining levels' data from the editor).
  4. "Sort Areas" lets you re-order the levels of the game. Note: a level containing an Axe will cause the subsequent levels to be in the next world.

Editing blocks:
  1. Blocks (and enemies) can be selected and (slowly) dragged using the mouse. When you select a block, use the + and - keys on the numpad to change the block into the next type of block. You can also double-click a block and choose its type from a dropdown list.
  2. Long objects mustn't extend across page borders! Which is to say, the vertical white lines every 16 blocks. If they do, then they might cause other blocks in that page to disappear. Furthermore, they won't appear if Mario respawns on that screen (may be useful, maybe not).
  3. When a block is moved to row 12 (the bottom of the visible screen) it becomes a long object. Long objects include pits, rows of coin blocks, wood bridges and things.
  4. Row 13 objects contain some important entities (the axe, the flagpole, and "scroll stops" that stop the screen scrolling) but also contain page skips, which offset the positions of other objects by a full screen. Be careful they don't mess up your design!
  5. Row 14 objects transform the background and underlying terrain of the foreground. They're used a lot in castles to create the narrow, cavernous passageways.
  6. Row 15 objects are huge objects: the level goal castles, the level goal staircase, and the L-shaped pipe at the end of cave levels.
  7. If you can't figure out the construction of a certain level structure, consult the Object List, which lists every object in the level.

Editing enemies:
  1. Row 14 enemies are actually Room Change objects. These determine where Mario goes when he goes down a pipe in the rest of the level. Double-click one, then hit Preview to see and alter where it's set. You can't easily create these - you'll have to use existing ones (or use Send Object To to transfer one from another level.)
  2. The "After 5-3" flag means that the enemy will only appear after the "Become Harder" level (5-3 by default) is passed. Because 5-3, 5-4, 6-4, 7-2 and 7-3 re-use previous level data, this is used to differentiate the re-used versions of the levels. (You can change the "Become Harder" level in "Edit Some Game Stuff")

Finishing the game:
  1. When Mario gets the flagpole, he walks forward until he encounters a castle doorway. Unless he does so, the level won't finish.
  2. When Mario gets the axe, any Bowser present will fall down (breaking the floor where the bridge out to be) and he'll walk forward to hear the victory message. If this is the final world (see "General Setting"), the game ends.

And remember: if you want to know how a certain SMB level works, go to it and have a look!

Click here to download SMB Utility.
Click here to download the Super Mario Bros. ROM (with unlimited respawning).
Click here to submit your hack.

FAQ:
Q: Is it legal to distribute ROMs?
A: Ehhh.

If you want you can use Lunar IPS to make a patch file of your hack and distribute that instead, but you'd have to specify which ROM to use as the base ROM.

Wednesday April 3, 2013
(all day)
Start: 04/02/2013 - 12:00
End: 04/08/2013 - 00:00

In this event, we shall design levels for the Super Mario Bros. ROM! Much like the previous Knytt Stories events, this is centered around designing new environments and stories within a familiar and fondly regarded game engine.

I suggest you use this edited ROM for this event. I've edited it to be more gentle and Knytt-like in its sensibilities, and more conducive to different kinds of storytelling and playing. It has the following changes:

  1. Mario has unlimited lives and time.
  2. All score-related numbers are not displayed.
  3. Mario respawns from the last pipe or castle he popped out of, not the mid-way point. This means you can create a long level made of parts joined by pipe warps.

The editor we'll be using is SMB Utility (Windows native, but can work in WINE). It's a level editor that provides a lot of useful functionality, most notably possessing an emulator built right into the editor that lets you test levels as soon as you make them!

A slightly quick guide to SMB Utility:
There are two 'layers' to each level - the enemy layer and the block layer. Switch between them with the Shell icon and the Excavator icon in the toolbar.

Various high-level data:

  1. Edit the emulator's controls in "Configuration" in the Tools menu. (Select "Emulator" from the top-left dropdown menu.)
  2. "Edit Header" in the Edit menu lets you edit Mario's start position for this level, and the terrain foreground and background for the level. "Guns" means that Bullet Bill Blasters will replace tree platforms and mushroom platforms.
  3. "General Setting" in the Tools menu determines which world is the last world. When you collect an Axe in that world, the game ends. For a short hack, you'd want it to be world 1 (but don't change it yet - doing so will hide the remaining levels' data from the editor).
  4. "Sort Areas" lets you re-order the levels of the game. Note: a level containing an Axe will cause the subsequent levels to be in the next world.

Editing blocks:
  1. Blocks (and enemies) can be selected and (slowly) dragged using the mouse. When you select a block, use the + and - keys on the numpad to change the block into the next type of block. You can also double-click a block and choose its type from a dropdown list.
  2. Long objects mustn't extend across page borders! Which is to say, the vertical white lines every 16 blocks. If they do, then they might cause other blocks in that page to disappear. Furthermore, they won't appear if Mario respawns on that screen (may be useful, maybe not).
  3. When a block is moved to row 12 (the bottom of the visible screen) it becomes a long object. Long objects include pits, rows of coin blocks, wood bridges and things.
  4. Row 13 objects contain some important entities (the axe, the flagpole, and "scroll stops" that stop the screen scrolling) but also contain page skips, which offset the positions of other objects by a full screen. Be careful they don't mess up your design!
  5. Row 14 objects transform the background and underlying terrain of the foreground. They're used a lot in castles to create the narrow, cavernous passageways.
  6. Row 15 objects are huge objects: the level goal castles, the level goal staircase, and the L-shaped pipe at the end of cave levels.
  7. If you can't figure out the construction of a certain level structure, consult the Object List, which lists every object in the level.

Editing enemies:
  1. Row 14 enemies are actually Room Change objects. These determine where Mario goes when he goes down a pipe in the rest of the level. Double-click one, then hit Preview to see and alter where it's set. You can't easily create these - you'll have to use existing ones (or use Send Object To to transfer one from another level.)
  2. The "After 5-3" flag means that the enemy will only appear after the "Become Harder" level (5-3 by default) is passed. Because 5-3, 5-4, 6-4, 7-2 and 7-3 re-use previous level data, this is used to differentiate the re-used versions of the levels. (You can change the "Become Harder" level in "Edit Some Game Stuff")

Finishing the game:
  1. When Mario gets the flagpole, he walks forward until he encounters a castle doorway. Unless he does so, the level won't finish.
  2. When Mario gets the axe, any Bowser present will fall down (breaking the floor where the bridge out to be) and he'll walk forward to hear the victory message. If this is the final world (see "General Setting"), the game ends.

And remember: if you want to know how a certain SMB level works, go to it and have a look!

Click here to download SMB Utility.
Click here to download the Super Mario Bros. ROM (with unlimited respawning).
Click here to submit your hack.

FAQ:
Q: Is it legal to distribute ROMs?
A: Ehhh.

If you want you can use Lunar IPS to make a patch file of your hack and distribute that instead, but you'd have to specify which ROM to use as the base ROM.

Thursday April 4, 2013
(all day)
Start: 04/02/2013 - 12:00
End: 04/08/2013 - 00:00

In this event, we shall design levels for the Super Mario Bros. ROM! Much like the previous Knytt Stories events, this is centered around designing new environments and stories within a familiar and fondly regarded game engine.

I suggest you use this edited ROM for this event. I've edited it to be more gentle and Knytt-like in its sensibilities, and more conducive to different kinds of storytelling and playing. It has the following changes:

  1. Mario has unlimited lives and time.
  2. All score-related numbers are not displayed.
  3. Mario respawns from the last pipe or castle he popped out of, not the mid-way point. This means you can create a long level made of parts joined by pipe warps.

The editor we'll be using is SMB Utility (Windows native, but can work in WINE). It's a level editor that provides a lot of useful functionality, most notably possessing an emulator built right into the editor that lets you test levels as soon as you make them!

A slightly quick guide to SMB Utility:
There are two 'layers' to each level - the enemy layer and the block layer. Switch between them with the Shell icon and the Excavator icon in the toolbar.

Various high-level data:

  1. Edit the emulator's controls in "Configuration" in the Tools menu. (Select "Emulator" from the top-left dropdown menu.)
  2. "Edit Header" in the Edit menu lets you edit Mario's start position for this level, and the terrain foreground and background for the level. "Guns" means that Bullet Bill Blasters will replace tree platforms and mushroom platforms.
  3. "General Setting" in the Tools menu determines which world is the last world. When you collect an Axe in that world, the game ends. For a short hack, you'd want it to be world 1 (but don't change it yet - doing so will hide the remaining levels' data from the editor).
  4. "Sort Areas" lets you re-order the levels of the game. Note: a level containing an Axe will cause the subsequent levels to be in the next world.

Editing blocks:
  1. Blocks (and enemies) can be selected and (slowly) dragged using the mouse. When you select a block, use the + and - keys on the numpad to change the block into the next type of block. You can also double-click a block and choose its type from a dropdown list.
  2. Long objects mustn't extend across page borders! Which is to say, the vertical white lines every 16 blocks. If they do, then they might cause other blocks in that page to disappear. Furthermore, they won't appear if Mario respawns on that screen (may be useful, maybe not).
  3. When a block is moved to row 12 (the bottom of the visible screen) it becomes a long object. Long objects include pits, rows of coin blocks, wood bridges and things.
  4. Row 13 objects contain some important entities (the axe, the flagpole, and "scroll stops" that stop the screen scrolling) but also contain page skips, which offset the positions of other objects by a full screen. Be careful they don't mess up your design!
  5. Row 14 objects transform the background and underlying terrain of the foreground. They're used a lot in castles to create the narrow, cavernous passageways.
  6. Row 15 objects are huge objects: the level goal castles, the level goal staircase, and the L-shaped pipe at the end of cave levels.
  7. If you can't figure out the construction of a certain level structure, consult the Object List, which lists every object in the level.

Editing enemies:
  1. Row 14 enemies are actually Room Change objects. These determine where Mario goes when he goes down a pipe in the rest of the level. Double-click one, then hit Preview to see and alter where it's set. You can't easily create these - you'll have to use existing ones (or use Send Object To to transfer one from another level.)
  2. The "After 5-3" flag means that the enemy will only appear after the "Become Harder" level (5-3 by default) is passed. Because 5-3, 5-4, 6-4, 7-2 and 7-3 re-use previous level data, this is used to differentiate the re-used versions of the levels. (You can change the "Become Harder" level in "Edit Some Game Stuff")

Finishing the game:
  1. When Mario gets the flagpole, he walks forward until he encounters a castle doorway. Unless he does so, the level won't finish.
  2. When Mario gets the axe, any Bowser present will fall down (breaking the floor where the bridge out to be) and he'll walk forward to hear the victory message. If this is the final world (see "General Setting"), the game ends.

And remember: if you want to know how a certain SMB level works, go to it and have a look!

Click here to download SMB Utility.
Click here to download the Super Mario Bros. ROM (with unlimited respawning).
Click here to submit your hack.

FAQ:
Q: Is it legal to distribute ROMs?
A: Ehhh.

If you want you can use Lunar IPS to make a patch file of your hack and distribute that instead, but you'd have to specify which ROM to use as the base ROM.

Friday April 5, 2013
(all day)
Start: 04/02/2013 - 12:00
End: 04/08/2013 - 00:00

In this event, we shall design levels for the Super Mario Bros. ROM! Much like the previous Knytt Stories events, this is centered around designing new environments and stories within a familiar and fondly regarded game engine.

I suggest you use this edited ROM for this event. I've edited it to be more gentle and Knytt-like in its sensibilities, and more conducive to different kinds of storytelling and playing. It has the following changes:

  1. Mario has unlimited lives and time.
  2. All score-related numbers are not displayed.
  3. Mario respawns from the last pipe or castle he popped out of, not the mid-way point. This means you can create a long level made of parts joined by pipe warps.

The editor we'll be using is SMB Utility (Windows native, but can work in WINE). It's a level editor that provides a lot of useful functionality, most notably possessing an emulator built right into the editor that lets you test levels as soon as you make them!

A slightly quick guide to SMB Utility:
There are two 'layers' to each level - the enemy layer and the block layer. Switch between them with the Shell icon and the Excavator icon in the toolbar.

Various high-level data:

  1. Edit the emulator's controls in "Configuration" in the Tools menu. (Select "Emulator" from the top-left dropdown menu.)
  2. "Edit Header" in the Edit menu lets you edit Mario's start position for this level, and the terrain foreground and background for the level. "Guns" means that Bullet Bill Blasters will replace tree platforms and mushroom platforms.
  3. "General Setting" in the Tools menu determines which world is the last world. When you collect an Axe in that world, the game ends. For a short hack, you'd want it to be world 1 (but don't change it yet - doing so will hide the remaining levels' data from the editor).
  4. "Sort Areas" lets you re-order the levels of the game. Note: a level containing an Axe will cause the subsequent levels to be in the next world.

Editing blocks:
  1. Blocks (and enemies) can be selected and (slowly) dragged using the mouse. When you select a block, use the + and - keys on the numpad to change the block into the next type of block. You can also double-click a block and choose its type from a dropdown list.
  2. Long objects mustn't extend across page borders! Which is to say, the vertical white lines every 16 blocks. If they do, then they might cause other blocks in that page to disappear. Furthermore, they won't appear if Mario respawns on that screen (may be useful, maybe not).
  3. When a block is moved to row 12 (the bottom of the visible screen) it becomes a long object. Long objects include pits, rows of coin blocks, wood bridges and things.
  4. Row 13 objects contain some important entities (the axe, the flagpole, and "scroll stops" that stop the screen scrolling) but also contain page skips, which offset the positions of other objects by a full screen. Be careful they don't mess up your design!
  5. Row 14 objects transform the background and underlying terrain of the foreground. They're used a lot in castles to create the narrow, cavernous passageways.
  6. Row 15 objects are huge objects: the level goal castles, the level goal staircase, and the L-shaped pipe at the end of cave levels.
  7. If you can't figure out the construction of a certain level structure, consult the Object List, which lists every object in the level.

Editing enemies:
  1. Row 14 enemies are actually Room Change objects. These determine where Mario goes when he goes down a pipe in the rest of the level. Double-click one, then hit Preview to see and alter where it's set. You can't easily create these - you'll have to use existing ones (or use Send Object To to transfer one from another level.)
  2. The "After 5-3" flag means that the enemy will only appear after the "Become Harder" level (5-3 by default) is passed. Because 5-3, 5-4, 6-4, 7-2 and 7-3 re-use previous level data, this is used to differentiate the re-used versions of the levels. (You can change the "Become Harder" level in "Edit Some Game Stuff")

Finishing the game:
  1. When Mario gets the flagpole, he walks forward until he encounters a castle doorway. Unless he does so, the level won't finish.
  2. When Mario gets the axe, any Bowser present will fall down (breaking the floor where the bridge out to be) and he'll walk forward to hear the victory message. If this is the final world (see "General Setting"), the game ends.

And remember: if you want to know how a certain SMB level works, go to it and have a look!

Click here to download SMB Utility.
Click here to download the Super Mario Bros. ROM (with unlimited respawning).
Click here to submit your hack.

FAQ:
Q: Is it legal to distribute ROMs?
A: Ehhh.

If you want you can use Lunar IPS to make a patch file of your hack and distribute that instead, but you'd have to specify which ROM to use as the base ROM.

Saturday April 6, 2013
(all day)
Start: 04/02/2013 - 12:00
End: 04/08/2013 - 00:00

In this event, we shall design levels for the Super Mario Bros. ROM! Much like the previous Knytt Stories events, this is centered around designing new environments and stories within a familiar and fondly regarded game engine.

I suggest you use this edited ROM for this event. I've edited it to be more gentle and Knytt-like in its sensibilities, and more conducive to different kinds of storytelling and playing. It has the following changes:

  1. Mario has unlimited lives and time.
  2. All score-related numbers are not displayed.
  3. Mario respawns from the last pipe or castle he popped out of, not the mid-way point. This means you can create a long level made of parts joined by pipe warps.

The editor we'll be using is SMB Utility (Windows native, but can work in WINE). It's a level editor that provides a lot of useful functionality, most notably possessing an emulator built right into the editor that lets you test levels as soon as you make them!

A slightly quick guide to SMB Utility:
There are two 'layers' to each level - the enemy layer and the block layer. Switch between them with the Shell icon and the Excavator icon in the toolbar.

Various high-level data:

  1. Edit the emulator's controls in "Configuration" in the Tools menu. (Select "Emulator" from the top-left dropdown menu.)
  2. "Edit Header" in the Edit menu lets you edit Mario's start position for this level, and the terrain foreground and background for the level. "Guns" means that Bullet Bill Blasters will replace tree platforms and mushroom platforms.
  3. "General Setting" in the Tools menu determines which world is the last world. When you collect an Axe in that world, the game ends. For a short hack, you'd want it to be world 1 (but don't change it yet - doing so will hide the remaining levels' data from the editor).
  4. "Sort Areas" lets you re-order the levels of the game. Note: a level containing an Axe will cause the subsequent levels to be in the next world.

Editing blocks:
  1. Blocks (and enemies) can be selected and (slowly) dragged using the mouse. When you select a block, use the + and - keys on the numpad to change the block into the next type of block. You can also double-click a block and choose its type from a dropdown list.
  2. Long objects mustn't extend across page borders! Which is to say, the vertical white lines every 16 blocks. If they do, then they might cause other blocks in that page to disappear. Furthermore, they won't appear if Mario respawns on that screen (may be useful, maybe not).
  3. When a block is moved to row 12 (the bottom of the visible screen) it becomes a long object. Long objects include pits, rows of coin blocks, wood bridges and things.
  4. Row 13 objects contain some important entities (the axe, the flagpole, and "scroll stops" that stop the screen scrolling) but also contain page skips, which offset the positions of other objects by a full screen. Be careful they don't mess up your design!
  5. Row 14 objects transform the background and underlying terrain of the foreground. They're used a lot in castles to create the narrow, cavernous passageways.
  6. Row 15 objects are huge objects: the level goal castles, the level goal staircase, and the L-shaped pipe at the end of cave levels.
  7. If you can't figure out the construction of a certain level structure, consult the Object List, which lists every object in the level.

Editing enemies:
  1. Row 14 enemies are actually Room Change objects. These determine where Mario goes when he goes down a pipe in the rest of the level. Double-click one, then hit Preview to see and alter where it's set. You can't easily create these - you'll have to use existing ones (or use Send Object To to transfer one from another level.)
  2. The "After 5-3" flag means that the enemy will only appear after the "Become Harder" level (5-3 by default) is passed. Because 5-3, 5-4, 6-4, 7-2 and 7-3 re-use previous level data, this is used to differentiate the re-used versions of the levels. (You can change the "Become Harder" level in "Edit Some Game Stuff")

Finishing the game:
  1. When Mario gets the flagpole, he walks forward until he encounters a castle doorway. Unless he does so, the level won't finish.
  2. When Mario gets the axe, any Bowser present will fall down (breaking the floor where the bridge out to be) and he'll walk forward to hear the victory message. If this is the final world (see "General Setting"), the game ends.

And remember: if you want to know how a certain SMB level works, go to it and have a look!

Click here to download SMB Utility.
Click here to download the Super Mario Bros. ROM (with unlimited respawning).
Click here to submit your hack.

FAQ:
Q: Is it legal to distribute ROMs?
A: Ehhh.

If you want you can use Lunar IPS to make a patch file of your hack and distribute that instead, but you'd have to specify which ROM to use as the base ROM.

Sunday April 7, 2013
(all day)
Start: 04/02/2013 - 12:00
End: 04/08/2013 - 00:00

In this event, we shall design levels for the Super Mario Bros. ROM! Much like the previous Knytt Stories events, this is centered around designing new environments and stories within a familiar and fondly regarded game engine.

I suggest you use this edited ROM for this event. I've edited it to be more gentle and Knytt-like in its sensibilities, and more conducive to different kinds of storytelling and playing. It has the following changes:

  1. Mario has unlimited lives and time.
  2. All score-related numbers are not displayed.
  3. Mario respawns from the last pipe or castle he popped out of, not the mid-way point. This means you can create a long level made of parts joined by pipe warps.

The editor we'll be using is SMB Utility (Windows native, but can work in WINE). It's a level editor that provides a lot of useful functionality, most notably possessing an emulator built right into the editor that lets you test levels as soon as you make them!

A slightly quick guide to SMB Utility:
There are two 'layers' to each level - the enemy layer and the block layer. Switch between them with the Shell icon and the Excavator icon in the toolbar.

Various high-level data:

  1. Edit the emulator's controls in "Configuration" in the Tools menu. (Select "Emulator" from the top-left dropdown menu.)
  2. "Edit Header" in the Edit menu lets you edit Mario's start position for this level, and the terrain foreground and background for the level. "Guns" means that Bullet Bill Blasters will replace tree platforms and mushroom platforms.
  3. "General Setting" in the Tools menu determines which world is the last world. When you collect an Axe in that world, the game ends. For a short hack, you'd want it to be world 1 (but don't change it yet - doing so will hide the remaining levels' data from the editor).
  4. "Sort Areas" lets you re-order the levels of the game. Note: a level containing an Axe will cause the subsequent levels to be in the next world.

Editing blocks:
  1. Blocks (and enemies) can be selected and (slowly) dragged using the mouse. When you select a block, use the + and - keys on the numpad to change the block into the next type of block. You can also double-click a block and choose its type from a dropdown list.
  2. Long objects mustn't extend across page borders! Which is to say, the vertical white lines every 16 blocks. If they do, then they might cause other blocks in that page to disappear. Furthermore, they won't appear if Mario respawns on that screen (may be useful, maybe not).
  3. When a block is moved to row 12 (the bottom of the visible screen) it becomes a long object. Long objects include pits, rows of coin blocks, wood bridges and things.
  4. Row 13 objects contain some important entities (the axe, the flagpole, and "scroll stops" that stop the screen scrolling) but also contain page skips, which offset the positions of other objects by a full screen. Be careful they don't mess up your design!
  5. Row 14 objects transform the background and underlying terrain of the foreground. They're used a lot in castles to create the narrow, cavernous passageways.
  6. Row 15 objects are huge objects: the level goal castles, the level goal staircase, and the L-shaped pipe at the end of cave levels.
  7. If you can't figure out the construction of a certain level structure, consult the Object List, which lists every object in the level.

Editing enemies:
  1. Row 14 enemies are actually Room Change objects. These determine where Mario goes when he goes down a pipe in the rest of the level. Double-click one, then hit Preview to see and alter where it's set. You can't easily create these - you'll have to use existing ones (or use Send Object To to transfer one from another level.)
  2. The "After 5-3" flag means that the enemy will only appear after the "Become Harder" level (5-3 by default) is passed. Because 5-3, 5-4, 6-4, 7-2 and 7-3 re-use previous level data, this is used to differentiate the re-used versions of the levels. (You can change the "Become Harder" level in "Edit Some Game Stuff")

Finishing the game:
  1. When Mario gets the flagpole, he walks forward until he encounters a castle doorway. Unless he does so, the level won't finish.
  2. When Mario gets the axe, any Bowser present will fall down (breaking the floor where the bridge out to be) and he'll walk forward to hear the victory message. If this is the final world (see "General Setting"), the game ends.

And remember: if you want to know how a certain SMB level works, go to it and have a look!

Click here to download SMB Utility.
Click here to download the Super Mario Bros. ROM (with unlimited respawning).
Click here to submit your hack.

FAQ:
Q: Is it legal to distribute ROMs?
A: Ehhh.

If you want you can use Lunar IPS to make a patch file of your hack and distribute that instead, but you'd have to specify which ROM to use as the base ROM.

Monday April 8, 2013
End: 12:00 am
Start: 04/02/2013 - 12:00
End: 04/08/2013 - 00:00

In this event, we shall design levels for the Super Mario Bros. ROM! Much like the previous Knytt Stories events, this is centered around designing new environments and stories within a familiar and fondly regarded game engine.

I suggest you use this edited ROM for this event. I've edited it to be more gentle and Knytt-like in its sensibilities, and more conducive to different kinds of storytelling and playing. It has the following changes:

  1. Mario has unlimited lives and time.
  2. All score-related numbers are not displayed.
  3. Mario respawns from the last pipe or castle he popped out of, not the mid-way point. This means you can create a long level made of parts joined by pipe warps.

The editor we'll be using is SMB Utility (Windows native, but can work in WINE). It's a level editor that provides a lot of useful functionality, most notably possessing an emulator built right into the editor that lets you test levels as soon as you make them!

A slightly quick guide to SMB Utility:
There are two 'layers' to each level - the enemy layer and the block layer. Switch between them with the Shell icon and the Excavator icon in the toolbar.

Various high-level data:

  1. Edit the emulator's controls in "Configuration" in the Tools menu. (Select "Emulator" from the top-left dropdown menu.)
  2. "Edit Header" in the Edit menu lets you edit Mario's start position for this level, and the terrain foreground and background for the level. "Guns" means that Bullet Bill Blasters will replace tree platforms and mushroom platforms.
  3. "General Setting" in the Tools menu determines which world is the last world. When you collect an Axe in that world, the game ends. For a short hack, you'd want it to be world 1 (but don't change it yet - doing so will hide the remaining levels' data from the editor).
  4. "Sort Areas" lets you re-order the levels of the game. Note: a level containing an Axe will cause the subsequent levels to be in the next world.

Editing blocks:
  1. Blocks (and enemies) can be selected and (slowly) dragged using the mouse. When you select a block, use the + and - keys on the numpad to change the block into the next type of block. You can also double-click a block and choose its type from a dropdown list.
  2. Long objects mustn't extend across page borders! Which is to say, the vertical white lines every 16 blocks. If they do, then they might cause other blocks in that page to disappear. Furthermore, they won't appear if Mario respawns on that screen (may be useful, maybe not).
  3. When a block is moved to row 12 (the bottom of the visible screen) it becomes a long object. Long objects include pits, rows of coin blocks, wood bridges and things.
  4. Row 13 objects contain some important entities (the axe, the flagpole, and "scroll stops" that stop the screen scrolling) but also contain page skips, which offset the positions of other objects by a full screen. Be careful they don't mess up your design!
  5. Row 14 objects transform the background and underlying terrain of the foreground. They're used a lot in castles to create the narrow, cavernous passageways.
  6. Row 15 objects are huge objects: the level goal castles, the level goal staircase, and the L-shaped pipe at the end of cave levels.
  7. If you can't figure out the construction of a certain level structure, consult the Object List, which lists every object in the level.

Editing enemies:
  1. Row 14 enemies are actually Room Change objects. These determine where Mario goes when he goes down a pipe in the rest of the level. Double-click one, then hit Preview to see and alter where it's set. You can't easily create these - you'll have to use existing ones (or use Send Object To to transfer one from another level.)
  2. The "After 5-3" flag means that the enemy will only appear after the "Become Harder" level (5-3 by default) is passed. Because 5-3, 5-4, 6-4, 7-2 and 7-3 re-use previous level data, this is used to differentiate the re-used versions of the levels. (You can change the "Become Harder" level in "Edit Some Game Stuff")

Finishing the game:
  1. When Mario gets the flagpole, he walks forward until he encounters a castle doorway. Unless he does so, the level won't finish.
  2. When Mario gets the axe, any Bowser present will fall down (breaking the floor where the bridge out to be) and he'll walk forward to hear the victory message. If this is the final world (see "General Setting"), the game ends.

And remember: if you want to know how a certain SMB level works, go to it and have a look!

Click here to download SMB Utility.
Click here to download the Super Mario Bros. ROM (with unlimited respawning).
Click here to submit your hack.

FAQ:
Q: Is it legal to distribute ROMs?
A: Ehhh.

If you want you can use Lunar IPS to make a patch file of your hack and distribute that instead, but you'd have to specify which ROM to use as the base ROM.

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