Downland1983

Yikes! I frequently seem to trip myself up when starting a post off with copy/paste. Thanks for the heads up!

New course uploaded this weekend. For a long time, my NES games compilation "Mario Plays NES Games" was by far my most played course in Super Mario Maker 2. It held the top mark of all my courses in the most sizeable categories (Players, Likes, Attempts) almost immediately after being uploaded. At it's peak, on one magical weekend, it was once played by 500 players in a single day (532 players on 12/7/2019), and Liked by 100 of them. A feat that has never been matched by any of my other courses. Over time though, another of my courses that I had actually worked on and uploaded around the same time garnered its own fair share of attention. Mario Maker Kart Quadruple Dash was uploaded (11/29/2019) 4 days before Mario Plays NES Games (12/2/2019), but did not hit its own stride until a month later, reaching its own single day peak of over 200 players in a single day (229 players on 1/1/2020) and Liked by 29 of them. While its peak may have been 300 players and 71 Likes lower than Mario Plays NES Games had achieved on its best day, Mario Maker Kart Quadruple Dash became an evergreen course that continued to add players and Likes in chunks over time. I thought that this may have been because the course was specifically designed with multiplayer in mind, but in actuality, it has only been played 4 times in Multiplayer Versus mode, in contrast to Mario Plays NES Games having been played 28 times. However, Mario Maker Kart Quadruple Dash is a much shorter and easier course boasting a higher clearer rate. It has also been getting a boost recently by appearing earlier in my Super World which is made of all of my retro and modern reimagining of games. For all of these reasons, Mario Maker Kart Quadruple Dash eventually surpassed 700 players and went to eclipse Mario Plays NES Games as my most played course of all time. In commemoration of this event, I decided to make a "Greatest Hits" course combining both of my most played and liked courses into a single course called "Greatest Hits: The 700 Series". I waited a little bit until Mario Maker Kart Quadruple Dash also reached the 100 Like milestone before crafting and uploading the celebratory course. Rather than just do a "copy/paste" of the originals, I gave both courses a remastered "facelift" with Mario Maker Kart Quadruple Dash being completely redesigned. In addition to the theme of Mario Plays NES Games receiving a 3D upgrade, the Donkey Kong Jr first screen game was replaced with Donkey Kong Jr's 2nd screen for reasons detailed below. Deluxe Versions of Previously Uploaded Courses: Greatest Hits: The 700 Series Course ID: M28-GSB-RHG Description: Celebrating 2 Courses that achieved the milestone of having been played by over 700 different people. Greatest Hits: The 700 Series combines Mario Plays NES Games with Mario Maker Kart Quadruple Dash into a single course. Mario Plays NES Games maintains the core of Mario going home to play a level from "Mario Bros.", "Donkey Kong Jr.", and "Super Mario Bros.". But, the theme has been upgraded from 8 bit to 3D in order to combine with the Super Mario 3D World theme of Mario Maker Kart Quadruple Dash. In addition to this upgrade, the first screen level of Donkey Kong Jr. has been swapped out for a rendition of the 2nd screen with the spring and moving platforms. This was mainly due to the unavailability of vines in the 3D World theme, which the first screen of Donkey Kong Jr heavily utilizes. Most of the vines in this rendition of screen 2 have been represented by Twisters. After finishing the three levels of Mario Plays NES Games, the player is transported to the back of Mario's house to obtain a Koopa Car and then enter the final level, Mario Maker Kart Quadruple Dash. This version has been completely reinvented, but stays true to the spirit of the original and can still be played in multiplayer. Likes: 1 Played By: 6 Clears: 1 Attempts: 21 Clear Rate: 4.76% World Record: 2:57.866 (mikagic) Uploaded: 11/15/2020

New course uploaded over this past weekend. I had played another creator's course recently called "Mouse Trap", and while it had nothing to do with it, the title reminded me of the classic game I used to play frequently on ColecoVision in my childhood. "Mouse Trap" was a popular Pac-Man clone back in the day, so I decided to try and recreate it in Super Mario Maker 2. I used the underwater theme and frog suit again to speed up navigation of the maze. I used Chain Chomps in place of the enemy cats, since they seemed the most adept at navigating the underwater maze as an enemy that could kill Mario in 1 hit, while also adhering to the physics of the walls and doors. I used Red Blocks and On/Off switches to simulate the opening and closing of the original games Red, Blue, & Yellow Doors. It would have been nice to have different kind of "doors", but I had to avoid using the P Switch, because it would have turned all of the coins to bricks. I used Red Coins in place of the "Bones", although these serve only a visual connection to the classic version, since I spread ? Blocks around the maze with Invincibility Stars to be used as your mouse's transformation into a dog. But, you do need all the Red Coins to create a Key that will access the Flagpole room at the end of the course, and the Flagpole is only accessible if you have munched all "92" bits of cheese (Coins) in the maze. Recreations of Existing Games (both Retro and Modern): Mouse Trap (ColecoVision) Course ID: M28-GSB-RHG Description: Weave through a maze of doors & corridors as a mouse munching bits of cheese. Open and shut doors to escape pursuing cats (Chain Chomps). Collect bones (Red Coins) and turn your mouse into a cat-biting dog (using Star Power Ups). Likes: 7 Played By: 11 Clears: 7 Attempts: 14 Clear Rate: 50.00% World Record: 2:22.684 (Luigi05) Uploaded: 11/8/2020

Thanks for adding the paperback stretch goal, and I was happy to see it got funded (and then some!). I was just thinking about this campaign, and remembered to back it in time. Looking forward to receiving my copy!

After I finished working on and uploading "Bump n' Jump", I also decided to squeeze in another reupload of my Haunted Cemetery course from the original Super Mario Maker on Wii U, just like I had one on Halloween last year. This version features some visual improvements over the original. The mausoleums now have more aesthetically pleasing exteriors, and fully designed sub-world interiors. A greater variety of boo ghosts enemies (boo buddies and boo stretches) have been incorporated into the course as well. Deluxe Versions of Previously Uploaded Courses: Night of the Haunted Cemetery Course ID: M28-GSB-RHG Description: Survive a night in the Haunted Cemetery, but beware the Mausoleums! Happy Halloween 2020! This is a deluxe version of sorts of the "Revenge of the Haunted Cemetery" course that I uploaded on Halloween night 2019 (which itself was a reupload of the original Haunted Cemetery course that I had created on Super Mario Maker for Wii U years prior). This deluxe version features both mausoleum interiors recreated as sub-worlds, so that you can no longer see through the buildings from the outside. Likes: 3 Played By: 7 Clears: 3 Attempts: 30 Clear Rate: 10.00% World Record: 1:27.628 Uploaded: 10/31/2020

I was inspired to try and recreate the action of Data East's 1982 classic "Bump n' Jump", which was I title I most enjoyed playing on my ColecoVision, but which had been ported to numerous other systems including the NES as well. I had to use the Super Mario 3D World theme for the course in order have a Koopa Car to drive. Much like the original game, you can bump the other Koopa Cars on the road and land on them to destroy (disable) them. I recreated a number or jumping hazards as well, and utilized the lightbulb sound effect at set intervals right before each jump to let you know the jumps were coming just like in the original game. I also used the sub world and main world so that I could have two different distinct seasonal themes, just like the season would change after completing a stage in the original. I also created a Data East/Bump n' Jump title card at the start of the course before you begin in the winter themed sub-world. I think the finished course is both fun and true to the classic game. Recreations of Existing Games (both Retro and Modern): Bump n' Jump Course ID: 1W1-45C-JDG Description: Bump into other cars, jump to clear hazards, and vault over opponents or land on them in this homage to Data East's classic from 1982. Likes: 6 Played By: 16 Clears: 7 Attempts: 69 Clear Rate: 10.14% World Record: 0:41.949 (MrHyde86) Uploaded: 10/31/2020

First result that came up when I typed "Fix joycon drift" into Google just now is an IGN article. There is a section delving into the causes of joycon drift and mentions the possibility of dust (dead skin/debris) getting under the analogue stick. A later section suggests blowing compressed air under the stick to clear the debris if that is the culprit: What is Joy-Con drift and what causes it? t's unclear what the cause of Joy-Con drift is but one Joy-Con teardown published on Reddit by user u/rainbopython in April 2019 claims that the drift problem could be caused by wear-and-tear over time while other theories point towards build-up of dust inside the casing around the stick. However, given that in some cases even a thorough clean doesn't fix the issue reliably, it is likely that the more permanent problem isn't merely caused by dust. Clean the Joy-Con with Compressed Air Sometimes, debris can get lodged underneath the thumbstick, causing some blockage. This is common across all controllers and can affect buttons and sticks. Get yourself a a compressed air can/cleaner -- available at any electronics store. You can then blast air right at the seam under the thumbstick to dislodge debris. Wipe it afterwards and check in the calibration menu whether that fixed your issue. https://www.ign.com/wikis/nintendo-switch/How_to_Fix_Joy-Con_Drift

Even so, a quick Google search on joycon drift brings up plenty of tips on how to clear out the dead skin cells and debris under the analogue stick that causes the drift issue. As always, Google is your friend. Don't get me wrong, it's a shame the issue exists. I have 2 sets of joycons myself that I have experienced the issue with personally, and it can be a pain in the ass at times until you get it corrected. But, you can get it corrected. It's a frivolous lawsuit nonetheless.

I definitely be down for a physical copy down the road as well.

Asking for $5,000,000 in damages for something the user can self repair with a less than $15 can of Deoxit.

Yes, I agree. I finished 1st place in my first attempt, and notched one more first place and many 2nd place finishes later. It's definitely a fun and satisfying game to play. I've also been watching YouTube videos of Ryukhar and TheDragonFeeney play it as well (I watch their Super Mario Maker 2 videos often). Speaking of which, I was inspired over the weekend to make a course in Super Mario Maker 2 called "Super Mario Bros. 35" as a tribute to the online game. It supports 4 paths through the course for 4 different players (2 paths through 1-1, and 2 paths through 1-2). All paths are spammed with enemies, including those from later levels, to give the feel that you are facing waves of attackers from multiple other players. Course ID: YM0-RG0-S1H if you have Super Mario Maker 2 and want to check it out.

I have recently been enjoying Nintendo's new battle royale game, Super Mario Bros 35. In addition to playing it, I've been watching videos of it from Ryukhar and TheDragonFeeney. So, I was inspired to attempt to recreate the manic multiplayer action in Super Mario Maker 2 as a tribute. I worked on the course over the weekend and got it uploaded late Saturday night. Recreations of Existing Games (both Retro and Modern): Super Mario Bros. 35 Course ID: YM0-RG0-S1H Description: Battle through enemy waves in familiar levels from the original Super Mario Bros in a recreation of Super Mario Bros 35. 4 players can race to the flagpole first on their own screens of 1-1 or 1-2 which has been spammed with enemies from later stages by unknown and unseen additional opponents. Powerups from the coin Roulette are scattered about to help you survive as the clock winds down against you. Likes: 1 Played By: 6 Clears: 4 Attempts: 17 Clear Rate: 23.52% World Record: 0:34.599 (HomieNick!) Uploaded: 10/3/2020

Pretty sure Sony didn't realize how hard the PlayStation Classic was going to bomb when they manufactured it. I mean they should have after the zero effort they put into it. But, even still, I don't think they knew it was going to suffer the humiliation of having to receive price cuts before it even made it to the Christmas shopping season it was released for, and then relegated to Clearance bins shortly afterwards. The PlayStation Classic is now discounted after less than a month in stores Dec 28, 2018 (price slashed from $99 to $60 less than a month on shelves) https://www.businessinsider.com/playstation-classic-price-cut-month-2018-12 PlayStation Classic gets a deep price cut at Walmart Feb 12, 2019 (price slashed again from $60 down to $39.99 less than 2 months later) https://www.slashgear.com/playstation-classic-gets-a-deep-price-cut-at-walmart-12565419/ PlayStation Classic Price Drops To $25 Jul 6, 2019 (officially in clearance bins 6 months after release, compared to the NES Classic which would sell out immediately after arriving in stores for years) https://www.ibtimes.com/playstation-classic-price-drops-25-2805027

Ha, yeah after all the time I put into polishing the level before the final clear check, I ended up leaving cheese potential in after all. Realized that when I saw some clear times coming in around a minute mark and less.

Without further ado, here is the new course that I successfully uploaded yesterday. Original Concepts: 7 Labors of Hercules Course ID: L0M-X25-GWG Description: The Golden Apples of the Hesperides (Red Coins) have been scattered across ancient Greece. King Eurystheus tasks Hercules to reacquire the apples in order to gain entry to the city of Mycenae and continue on his legendary journeys. 7 Golden Apples were stolen, and so 7 "Labors" must be completed to regain them. Likes: 0 Played By: 22 Clears: 3 Attempts: 109 Clear Rate: 2.75% World Record: 1:13.253 Uploaded: 9/10/2020

New course incoming soon! I created a new course over the weekend for Labor Day. I was hoping to get it uploaded on the actual holiday. But, I included 2 checkpoints due to the length of the course (4 sub world areas to traverse for red coins, with 3 more coins scattered throughout the overworld), which means I have to fully complete the level 3 times for a successful clear check to upload. This was actually a good thing, because 2/3 of the way through the clear check I realized that I had a mini boss fight very early in the stage that yielded a key to continue progressing through the mini sub world area. If left the way it had been created, a player could have taken that key back out of the sub world entrance and "cheesed" their way past the other 6 Labors and exited the course. I momentarily considered leaving this in, since I had already completed 2 of the 3 clear checks, and players often have fun finding "hidden cheese" and using "unintended strats" for beating a creators course. In the end though, I decided to edit the area and make it impossible to descend back to the 1st sub-world entrance once acquiring the key. I'm glad I did, because by going back into the edit mode on the course, I had a chance to make other additions to the course and overall improvements to the aesthetics now that I was no longer under the "deadline" of uploading the course on a particular day. This gave me the inspiration and time to add 3 more mythology themed mini-bosses to the sub-world areas that didn't originally have them. As stated, I made background improvements to the course that I feel really enhance the theme. I also gave each power-up within the stage their own "mystique" by placing them on "pedestals" to make them feel like mythical power bestowing treasures. And, I even put some extra work into the "soundtrack" of the course as well. At this point, I can say with confidence that I am 100% happy with the course and am now ready to upload it. I've already done a straight run of the 1st clear check on my first try and will get the other 2 done hopefully on my lunch break today. In the meantime, this post is to serve as teaser for the impending release of my new course. Since I created more of a mythology to the course than could possibly be typed in the level description in the game, I thought I would detail it here. If you want to go into the course completely fresh though with no forehand knowledge, you can stop reading here. Story: The Golden Apples of the Hesperides (Red Coins) have been scattered across ancient Greece. King Eurystheus tasks Hercules to reacquire the apples in order to gain entry to the city of Mycenae and continue on his legendary journeys. 7 Golden Apples were stolen, and so 7 "Labors" must be completed to regain them. 1st Labor: Enter the "Tower of the Winds" and obtain Prometheus' Fire to defeat the Wizard Aeetes. The Helmet of Hades must also be acquired to reach the first of the Golden Apples and escape the tower alive. 2nd Labor: Cross the "Pillars of Hercules" to reach Mount Parnassus. One of the Golden Apples is hidden within a cave in the slope of the mountain. Treacherous winds make entry to the cave difficult. 3rd Labor: Ascend to the top of Mount Parnassus to the Temple of the Oracle of Delphi. Buried deep beneath the temple is a crumbling cave of ice. The third Golden Apple is guarded in the depths of the cave by Medusa. 4th Labor: Soar to the Heavens to find the 4th Golden Apple outside the Temple of Zeus. 5th Labor: Descend into the Underworld to find the 5th Golden Apple precariously laying above a bottomless pit. The three headed guard dog Cerberus must be avoided to reach it. 6th Labor: Return to the world of the living and find the Tree of Life. Inside the tree rests the Sword of Peleus. Obtaining the sword is a necessity to defeating the multi-headed Hydra guarding the 6th Golden Apple at the top of the tree. 7th Labor: Antaeus awaits outside the massive gate to Mycenae. Antaeus has buried the 7th Golden Apple and must be wrestled first in order to safely retrieve it.

The N64 and Gamecube were not the weakest consoles on the market. Their chosen software formats (cartridge for N64 and mini-disc for GC) handicapped them, but as far as specs go, they were actually more powerful than their PlayStation counterparts.

Standard Edition (box, cart, manual) is fine by me.

The TRS-80 Color Computer 2 was actually what my family used for gaming after Coleco left the video game sector up until 88'-89' when we got an Atari 7800 and then an NES the year after. It was also our family computer until around the same time, at which point my uncle gave my dad his old IBM PC with a couple of floppy disks like Wheel of Fortune and Hollywood Squares.

Thanks! I have other course ideas that I haven't put much work into yet. I've mostly been taking a break to put time into other Switch titles for a while. I cleared 2 other games from my backlog already, and I'm 2/3 of the way through Valkyria Chronicles 4 at the moment. In between games, I'll have to make an effort to go back and flesh out those other course ideas every once in a while.

My family got a 7800. I think it was Christmas of 88'. The only game I remember having for it was Pole Position II. One of my older brother's friends brought over his NES and "The Legend of Zelda" one day, and my younger brother and I immediately started pining for that system. We got an NES for Christmas the following year and the 7800 was quickly forgotten.

Yeah, I got Catherine: Full Body recently too and enjoyed it as well. I played on Normal and finished in about 15 hours. I might play it again at some to see a different ending as well (not all of them though, I just looked it up and there are 13 different endings!). I plan to get Paper Mario: Orgami King at some point, but haven't picked it up just yet. I'm very close to finishing Dead or School at the moment.

It was 4 years ago, but I got a working Adam with the box for $102.50 on eBay. Got lucky with no shipping charges too, as I was on a long vacation drive and was able to work the free local pick-up into my route home. I don't see any being listed anywhere near that price now though.

My birthday recently passed on July 15th. And late in that day, I thought it would be cool to create a new course and upload it on my birthday. Unfortunately, due to the time I started, and the theme I chose for the course (a carnival), creating the course ran passed midnight, and so by the time I completed the clear check the course was actually uploaded the day after my birthday, but what can you do? As stated, the theme of the course is a night trip through a carnival featuring several minigames and activities. At the end of the carnival, there is fireworks show, my "house" lies beyond the flagpole, where you will ring the doorbell and wait to be invited in for some birthday cake. Original Concepts: Happy Birthday to Me!! Course ID: 0SH-B4V-7CG Description: Celebrate my birthday by traveling through a Carnival, seeing a fireworks show, and then stop at my house afterwards. Carnival games include Goombarang, Vortex Tunnel, Pick a Shot, Bumper Cars, Haunted House, and Bouncy Castle. Likes: 2 Played By: 13 Clears: 9 Attempts: 25 Clear Rate: 36.00% World Record: 0:49.065 (sully 0_0) Uploaded: 7/16/2020