Spin Attaxx: Why is the strategy a big wall of text without paragraphs. Gutting it and starting over.

2024-09-18T06:48:25Z

Why is the strategy a big wall of text without paragraphs. Gutting it and starting over.

ANueUtsuho: Created the page. Old Man Level is gonna be a harder article to write.

2024-09-17T23:14:33Z

Created the page. Old Man Level is gonna be a harder article to write.

New page

{{Levelinfo
|align=right

|title=Ultimate Level
|caption=The Ultimate Level... of Tier 1.
|rank=166th
|image=[[File:MaGMML3-166-UltimateLevel.png|256px]]
|game=''[[Make a Good Mega Man Level 3]]''
|creator=[[SM3000L]]
|composer=Marika Suzuki, Yoshino Aoki (originals) unknown (cover)


|gamenum=3
|judge1=27
|judge2=21
|judge3=48
|judge4=24
|judge5=32
|totalscore=30.4

|elements=1
|collectables=[[File:TricksterTokenSpade.png]]
|enemies=
*[[Cannopeller]]
*[[Cocco]]
*[[Corocoro]]
*[[Fan Fiend]]
*[[Jumbig]]
*[[Lyric]]
*[[Neo Metall]]
*[[New Classical Cannon]]
*[[New Shotman]]
*[[Pakatto 24]]
*[[Power Slam]]
*[[Scworm]]
*[[Screw Bomber]]
*[[Shadow Clone]]
*[[Sniper Joe]]
*[[Telly]]
|gimmicks=
*[[Acid Drop]]
*[[Auto Scroller]]
*[[Building Platform]]
*[[Cloud Platform (MM3)]]
*[[Count Bomb]]
*[[Drop Platform]]
*[[Falling Platform]] (MM2)
*[[Gravity Flip]]
*[[Key Barrier]]
*[[Needle Press]]
*[[Switch Ball]]
*[[Switch Block]]
|subbosses=
*[[Metall Potton]]
*[[Penpen Maker]]
|bosses=
*[[Quint]]
|other=
|music=Mega Man Star Force 3 - Spade Magnes' Stage '''Boss:''' Mega Man Star Force 2 - Boss
|location=[[Tier 1 (MaGMML3)|Tier 1]]
|previous=[[The Level Equivalent of An Old Man Rambling at You]]
|next=[[Damp Ruins]]
}}

'''Ultimate Level''' is the 166th place entry in ''[[Make a Good Mega Man Level 3]]''. This is the creator's first level, according to the sign at the beginning. As is common for new level designers, the level contains a wide array of enemies and gimmicks, with few lasting more than one screen, outside of a prominent usage of fire in place of pits or spikes.

==Strategy==
The level contains a different type of platform in almost every room. The first being [[Cloud Platform (MM3)|Cloud Platform]]s rising in front of a [[Cocco]]. The next room contains a few Drop Platforms leading up to a [[Pakatto 24]] and [[Sniper Joe]] right next to each other. It is recommended to use the [[Laser Trident]] to remove both of them at once. A single Falling Platform is at the end of this room, followed by a miniboss fight against [[Penpen Maker]]. Falling into the next room and turning left will lead to a group of [[Building Platform]]s. Wait for them all to fully assemble, as Mega Man can be crushed in-between the squares of the top and bottom platforms. Falling down to the next room has a single [[Switch Ball]] that must be used to obtain a Key Coin that counts as a full key. The key is not needed to progress in the level, but is necessary to obtain the [[Trickster Token]]. However, dying and respawning allows Mega Man to collect the Key Coin without needing to activate the switch, as the checkpoint is activated as soon as this screen is reached, and it places Mega Man on the other side of the fire. After this screen is an autoscrolling section where Mega Man must jump across [[Count Bomb]]s. The next three screens contain [[Lyric]]s and a single [[Neo Metall]], a [[Jumbig]] near a large pit, and a fight against a [[Metall Potton]], in that order. Falling down the hole and going to the left leads to an E-Tank, while going to the right leads to another checkpoint, and another hole to fall down. Obtaining the Token requires that the rest of the level be completed without dying, as the key will not be saved upon death, and Mega Man cannot return to the Key Coin at this point. Falling down this hole leads to three enlarged [[Needle Press|Needle Presses]] on the floor, as well as a [[Fan Fiend]] on the other side of a large hole. The Fan Fiend can be ignored, as falling down the hole is necessary for progression, and nothing is present on the other side of the Fiend. A sign in the next screen will warn Mega Man that the level is almost over. Following a section with [[Acid Drop]]s and a [[Power Slam]] is a section containing more Neo Metalls, and [[Telly]] spawners in the middle of the air. A [[Shadow Clone]] will spawn in front of the staircase, but cannot follow Mega Man for very long, due to not being able to jump high enough. One last jump must be made over a fire pit into the boss gate. Assuming that Mega Man has not died until this point, he can unlock the [[Key Barrier]] and find the level's single Token, as well as an E-Tank, a W-Tank, a [[Yashichi]], [[Eddie]], and a ?-Can. The boss of the level is [[Quint]], with one [[Gravity Flip]] arrow on the floor, and another on the ceiling. Flipping onto the ceiling renders Mega Man immune to damage if he does not jump, as Quint cannot jump high enough to reach him, or use the Gravity flippers himself. Quint can be defeated at this point with the [[Spark Chaser]] or [[Thunder Beam]].

==Judge Comments==
{{JudgeComment3
|mick=This level is called 'Ultimate', but it doesn't seem to be shouting about Maria very much [/sa2joke]. As for what it does do? Well... not a lot, actually. While yes, this level has a lot of different pieces, the majority of the actual design is basic jumps and flat surfaces. This takes any potential variety and curbs it, with the vast majority feeling 'same-y' even though there's a new toy in every room. Variety is a good thing to have, but it's a variety of scenarios that create interesting design, not a grab bag of pieces with the same window dressing. That being said, there are some specific moments I need to cover: First, there's an unnecessary amount of pixel-perfect jumps in this stage. They're not exactly difficult, since you can just use utilities, but the excess makes this a bit tedious. Secondly, while the idea of carrying a key through the level is a neat one, I'm not sure I appreciate how easily the checkpoints can screw over the player. Granted, if that *didn't* happen, there would be no difficulty in getting the level's Token, but having to restart everything for one little mistake often leaves a bitter taste. I'd have much preferred an actual challenge to fake difficulty. Still, as a first level, this really isn't bad. A bit on the boring side-which really hampers my ability to talk about it-and a touch too many tedious parts, but there is a foundation here. My main piece of advice: A variety of scenarios with a small handful of gimmicks is usually more effective for level design. Quality over Quantity, and don't be afraid to experiment with different placements. Oh, the custom graphics were pretty. Regularly appearing black backgrounds got dull fast, but otherwise they looked nice!
|mickscore=27
|mgdesign=7
|mgfun=4
|mgcreativity=1
|mgaesthetics=5
|mgfunctionality=10
|shin=I don't want to turn this review into a full on lecture, but assuming the text box at the beginning isn't a joke or some elaborate, troll-ish ploy, then I'd like to give you some advice: When it comes to level design, there's a number of things you need to keep in mind. One of them includes proper introduction to new gimmicks and enemies so they don't blindside the player. This stage goes against that basic design principle in a number of ways. I'm not saying your enemy and gimmick set-ups need to be hand-holding levels of easy, but they should at least let the player get a proper feel for what they're going to be put up against. Putting them in a situation like the start of the stage, where two different dropping platforms are introduced over instant death, is a bit much for an introduction (and having two new enemy types waiting for you on the other side of those platforms isn't doing it any favors). This stage also suffers heavily from the "one and done" problem, where a gimmick or enemy will appear, and then never show up for the rest of the stage. A good chunk of the level is like this, for that matter. Funnily enough, despite the stage being so frantic with its constant use of different enemies and gimmicks, it's still relatively easy. The only points where things become somewhat tricky are during certain 4-tile-wide jumps, a few of which I don't think are possible without utilities. And then there's the fight against Quint. While I'm all for changing up things with vanilla engine bosses, I can't help but wonder what the point was of adding gravity flippers to Quint's fight. It only seems to serve to make him easier than he already was. At least, that's what I'm getting out of it, anyways. Overall, this definitely isn't the worst level I've ever played (very far from it, in fact), but it's still not particularly good either. Practice makes perfect, though, and I know you can improve immensely over this.
|shinscore=21
|sdesign=3
|sfun=4
|screativity=2
|saesthetics=2
|sfunctionality=10
|pachy=Ultimate Level (MaGMML2)! It's okay, for a first-ever level. Can definitely see some beginning designer's mistakes, such as: Not introducing your gimmicks first in a safe environment, several of the platforms first appear over a bottomless pit, especially rough with the placement of Pakatto 24 Mandatory 4-tile jumps that requires the player to do them almost pixel-perfect All gimmicks and enemies come and go, never to be used again for the rest of the stage Minor complaint, but no walls where the screens end makes it somewhat annoying to secret hunt. The Powered Up switch setup is also quite precise without using weapons. The gravity flippers make the Quint fight a little more interesting than normal, but said gimmick was never introduced in the stage itself, so it could be confusing for players who have not seen this gimmick prior. Granted, it's a devkit asset, but the point still stands that proper gimmick handling is important.
|pachyscore=48
|pdesign=8
|pfun=13
|pcreativity=10
|paesthetics=9
|pfunctionality=8
|flashman=I could almost believe this is a legitimate attempt at a real level, what with the reasonably kind checkpoint placement, thoroughly normal length, good-sounding music, and graphics that vaguely look like something I guess. But then there's an ambush by Pakatto 24 *and* Sniper Joe, an "end is near" sign secretly forecasting a cheap death, and a halfway interesting fight with a boss who's notorious for not being taken seriously--which, collectively, make it hard to believe that anything named "Ultimate Level" ever had any intention of being good. This level is neither truly ultimate nor ironically un-ultimate\s it's a series of unrelated, uninspired challenges taking up space in a visually and architecturally barren location. And it smells like a half-butted attempt at a troll level. If you're going to troll us, do it *right*. Subvert expectations, mess with our heads, pile on the pain until it's preposterous--but demonstrate just enough restraint to keep from getting excluded. This level demonstrates so much restraint that it almost doesn't have an identity. Aside from the aforementioned ambush, sign, and boss--which actually kinda work, to an extent\s you could've had a promising career as a troll if you really wanted to--virtually no risks are taken. This feels like an early draft, in which the designer was still trying out different ideas and getting a handle on how collision objects work. Any difficulty stems from fleeting setbacks and mild inconveniences. Once you know where the beginner traps are, the hardest part about getting the token is having the patience to play this level a second time. A good level should be fun to play. A good troll level should be fun to watch other people play. This level? This is ultimately...a level.
|flashmanscore=24
|fmdesign=5
|fmfun=6
|fmcreativity=1
|fmaesthetics=5
|fmfunctionality=7
|ace=Unfortunately, there is very little substance to this level. There are a huge number of enemies and gimmicks used exactly once and never seen again. It is very hard to show any kind of progression or focus in a level of unique assets. Because of this fundamental flaw, there isn't a lot more talk about the level. There are a couple of positives. The graphics were pretty well tiled and put together, though lacking detail and a background, and the music was awesome. Funnily enough, the Quint fight was pretty enjoyable because of how silly it ended up being. Checkpoints were also pretty well placed, though one does bypass a puzzle, so shrug. There are a few pixel-perfect, or even impossible buster-only, sections in the level, which are pretty obnoxious and break what little flow the level has. The token requiring no death is not a particularly fun concept, especially when you can be locked out via a checkpoint later on. It is obvious this is a first attempt, but I would recommend looking at other levels and limiting what assets you use in future. Also, try to get other members of the community to have a look at your level before you submit it and take advice from them.
|acescore=32
|asdesign=6
|asfun=7
|ascreativity=1
|asaesthetics=8
|asfunctionality=10
}}
 
{{MaGMML3 Tier 1}}
{{MaGMML3}}
[[Category:Stages]][[Category:Make a Good Mega Man Level 3 Stages]][[Category:Tier 1 (MaGMML3)]][[Category:Make a Good Mega Man Level 3 Entries]][[Category:Tier 1 Stages]]

Ultimate Level - Revision history

Spin Attaxx: Why is the strategy a big wall of text without paragraphs. Gutting it and starting over.

ANueUtsuho: Created the page. Old Man Level is gonna be a harder article to write.