Make a Good Level II
| Host | limepie20 |
|---|---|
| Judge(s) | limepie20, Argumentable |
| Entries | 36 |
| Winner | Isocitration |
| Timeline | 124 Days
|
| Thread(s) | Announcement (talkhaus), LP (talkhaus) |
Make a Good Level II (also known as MaGL II or MaGL2) was a level design contest held on the Talkhaus. Similarly to the previous year's contest, it was hosted by limepie20, and contestants were asked to create and submit a custom Super Mario World level. However, a "mystery box" gimmick was introduced this time, which contained resources that entrants were expected to use in their levels. All entries were judged by limepie20 and Argumentable, based on criteria such as level design, aesthetics, functionality, and how well the mystery box resources were utilized.
Contest submissions were open from March 23, 2013 to April 29, 2013, and the judging process was completed by May 16, 2013. As with MaGL, the placements of the 36 entrants were revealed in reverse order during raocow's LP of the contest levels. The winner of MaGL II, Isocitration, was formally announced on June 10, 2013, and received a red username color as the grand prize.
Mystery boxes
The major gimmick that characterized MaGL II was the "mystery box". Prior to the start of the contest, the judges compiled a pool of boxes, with each one containing three different resources. These resources would include graphics, sprites, blocks, or music. Potential entrants were asked to send a PM to Argumentable in order to receive a randomly chosen box, whose contents were expected to be used in the design of the level. How well the mystery box resources were incorporated into an entry was scored out of 10 points. Although the usage of the resources was not required, forgoing the gimmick would result in a score of 0 for the category.
Rules
The rules for this contest were as follows:
- Submit an .ips patch (no ROMs allowed)
- Only submit one level
- Working with up to one partner was permitted
Judging rubric
Each entry was scored out of 60 points. The breakdown was as follows:
- Fun (20 points)
- Difficulty (5 points)
- Focus (5 points)
- Incorporation of Boxes (10 points)
- Atmosphere (10 points)
- Functionality (10 points)
Besides the addition of the mystery box in the scoring, the allotment of points was kept the same from MaGL. However, music and visuals were replaced by a general "atmosphere" category instead of being scored separately. This was meant to avoid redundancy, since a level's music and graphics would have likely been influenced by the contents of the mystery box anyway.
Results
Legacy
MaGL II was the first level design contest on the Talkhaus to have a characteristic gimmick associated with it. Although its successor returned to the "anything goes" philosophy of MaGL, other Talkhaus contests under the "Make a Good" name (particularly Make a Good Level X and Make a Fun Awesome Boss) would continue to feature gimmicks that were vital to the scoring.
