The Do's and Dont's of Custom Graphics
One of Super Mario Bros. X's great strengths compared to other Super Mario Bros. level editors is that most graphics are easily replaceable on a per-level basis. A thing to keep in mind is that for every power in the world, there are ways to use and misuse it. Custom graphics are no different. This article will detail how to use and misuse custom graphics, and provide a step-by-step process for creating and using custom sprites in your level.
Making a great level or episode
- Download Legend-tony980's SMB3 Recolors Pack and Paint.NET. These are essential tools that will help you get started.
- Insert all the background, background2, block, NPC, Peach, and Toad folders in your episode or level's folder. This will take up a lot of space, but it is worth it for that elusive perfect graphics score. Using the Mario and Luigi folders are optional, but if you do, make sure to post a topic in Graphic Requests asking for Luigi's leaf, Tanooki, hammer, and ice flower forms. Other users will be impressed at your quick thinking on posting the request.
- Download the NEW SMBX Ultimate Graphics Pack. Go to Resources, and find the SMB3 palettes. Note their location or move them to a more convenient location - you will need them regularly, so it's always best to prepare.
- If you are using any graphics that do not use the palettes, open them up in Paint.NET. Recolor them to use this palette. It's okay to have some graphics contain a black outline (I.E. those originally from SMW) as long as their main colors come from SMB3.
- Download Super Mario Star Expedition. Take npc-196, its' .txt, and its' mask, and put them in your level or episode folder. Even though the star's colors aren't from SMB3, keep it as-is, since it's from Super Mario Star Expedition. Since you'll be hiding 3 or more SMW Stars in your level, you'll want to have the right graphic for it!
- Download Valtteri's Graphics Pack, and use one of his SMB3 extended tilesets in your level. Be sure to use all the corners, slopes, etc.
- When using Yoshi or the Clown Car, it's okay to keep their hardcoded graphics in SMW style since they're hardcoded. You could use Darkchao's extractor to replace their hardcoded graphics with recolored versions, but if you release your new .exe, everyone's antiviruses will register it as a virus, and nobody will use it. Alternatively, you could make the SMB3-recolored Clown Car replace npc-290. Since npc-290 doesn't have any horrible glitches like moving away when you get damaged or moving through ceilings without you, it's a great idea to use it. You could fly to a switch block, or maybe a hidden SMW Star.
- Replace all of Legend-tony980's SMW NPCs with Valtteri's SMB3 styled SMW NPCs. They're in the same graphics pack as the extended SMB3 tilesets, so they're easy to find.
- If any custom NPCs you use, like the Para-Spiny, can be spin-jumped on to their death despite all appearances to the contrary, don't fret. Since MECHDRAGON777 uses Peach for every level, he won't notice unless you put a Peach character block to allow Peach to spin-jump beside the custom NPC, in which case he will be spin-jumping for the entire level.
- Use plenty of slopes in your level to make it more visually appealing, even in inorganic locations like castles or factories. Valtteri's expanded tilesets help in this regard.
- If your level is in a grassland, desert, ice land, or a jungle, make Legend-tony980's SMB3 recolored SMB2 vines replace animated background objects, such as the SMB3 seaweeds. Post these gratuitously on all block bottoms.
- Take upside-down graphics from Super Mario Star Expedition, such as hills and SMB2 trees, and put them on the bottoms of blocks. These make the level more visually appealing to a Level Judge's eye. Don't worry about upside down NPCs or players in your level or episode. Since that's impossible in SMBX, it shouldn't be done. Since upside down BGOs are possible, they should be done in every level you make. Remember that you must also make the aforementioned SMB2 vine BGOs upside down.
- Be sure to use a fancy font (SMB3 colored of course) for your score effect. It doesn't matter that it would clash horribly with SMBX's hardcoded HUB font - it's better to halfway change something than to use the default.
- Make your custom NPCs have over 10 frames each. It doesn't matter that effects almost never have over 4 frames.
- When making a custom playable character, don't think about whether or not the graphic matches to the hitbox. It's the player's responsibility to remember where the hitbox is.
- You can make anything replace a Hammer Bro., irregardless if the projectile even acts like a hammer. This shows that you are imaginative in your custom graphic design.
- You know how the Koopalings each had subtle differences from each other in SMB3? Disregard that in SMBX. It's fine to make each Koopaling act just like Larry, even Wendy O. and Lemmy. You can make Ludwig replace himself, but only Ludwig, no one else can replace Ludwig.
- If you're not using the Koopalings (who should replace Larry, unless you want Ludwig, and only Ludwig, to replace himself), you should make custom bosses which use layers and events. Even though they run in an infinite loop instead of having an actual A.I., it's better than a yucky default boss that actually seems to react to you.
- Make sure no NPCs have 1x1 pixels. This matters in SMBX even though overlapping NPCs result in 1x1 pixels anyways.
- Make all paths between levels on the world map very long. Even though the player moves both slow and non-automatically, this makes your map look better! Might as well make the long trip look great, eh?
Making a terrible level or episode
- Use anything with SMB1, SMB2, SMW, or YI colors. This is horribly tacky and it proves that you aren't putting any effort in your level.
- Use any default SMBX tilesets without extending them (and recoloring them to SMB3 if necessary). This is horribly tacky and it proves that you aren't putting any effort in your level.
- Use SMB2 vines as actual vines. This is horribly tacky and it proves that you aren't putting any effort in your level.
- Use the graphics from SMBX 1.3, even if you prefer them over the ones from 1.3.0.1. This is horribly tacky and it proves that you aren't putting any effort in your level.
- Use the default Goomba, Koopa Troopa, and Piranha Plant colors. I mean seriously, who wants to look at the same old enemy colors? This is horribly tacky and it proves that you aren't putting any effort in your level.
- Not put lots of BGOs in every location. This is horribly tacky and it proves that you aren't putting any effort in your level.
- Not have long paths between levels on the map. This is horribly tacky and it proves that you aren't putting any effort in your level.
Volunteer article written by FanofSMBX