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[Dustin Smith]

Blame copious amounts of caffeine -- praise Allah for getting over Adderall -- but on a whim I just blasted through the original Super Mario Bros (DX) on my GBA in a short sitting. While playing through the game I saw tons of little design flourishes and details I never see anybody really discussing; I've contemplated them through countless playthroughs, but up until now (I decided to make my own Mega Man, only better (actually it's going to be Shatterhand (well, really, Super Shatterhand Bros) I haven't had a need to put them into written words. When I write reviews I jot notes down in Notepad, but they would only make sense to me and me alone. Auntie Pixelante and others have written paragraphs concerning the intro screen:

http://www.auntiepixelante.com/?p=465

but I doubt she'll write much more about the game anytime soon. What I'm proposing to do is write a novella-length analysis detailing all 32 levels, and discuss enemies, obstacles, and other observations as they come.

Would there be any interest in this? Has somebody beat me to this? I've read scattered thoughts here and there, but nothing of this magnitude. It would take up my whole Christmas break, and I might have to pull a Philip K. Dick and score some uppers, but seeing as how many indies make platformers these days I'm sure somebody could take something positive from it. Expect my writing style to emulate Dessgeega's academic prose.

So what do you guys think?

[McMutton]

Go for it. I've always found that there's an annoying lack of design analysis on platformers.

[ezuk]

I would.  I think we're lacking this kind of analysis.  That said, a novella is quite an undertaking.

[J. R. Hill]

At first I was gonna say no, but then I realized there's a lot that goes in to SMB that I take for granted.  Especially when it comes to level design specifically.

It would be like when I read Will Eisner's Comics and Sequential Art and Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative.  Blew my mind to pieces.

[Paint by Numbers]

I love this idea. I found, after the few weeks I spent doing little else besides browsing through the Select Button front page archives, reading Auntie Pixelante (even though I don't like her much), and tearing apart Super Mario Brothers, that that game is really, really incredible. We take it for granted now, but it is beautiful and also almost imposing after you see what can come out of it.

[Noyb]

Why, yes. Yes I would.

Go for it!  :handthumbsupR:

[Fallsburg]

Well, just to nitpick, but it wouldn't be a novella.  A novella is fictional prose, this would be more akin to a treatise.  Ignoring my complete anality regarding vocabulary I would totally love to see this form of analysis.  I've been trying to do a similar project for The Legend of Zelda:LttP, but my output has fallen off as my time has been devoted more towards working on my game.  This might be the impetus to start back up.  I feel there can never be too much of this form of analysis devoted to games. 

In conclusion, go for it.

[Zaratustra]

DO IT
maybe make a blog where you comment on one level each day

[Alec S.]

I'm always in support of more in-depth game design analysis.

[PeteHuf]

Doo it! Do it nau!!

[Inanimate]

Very clever idea! I'd love to read it and play at the same time.

[man of doom]

Yeah I'd totally be into this. I love in depth analysis of game structure and design.

[tesselode]

If your "novella" comes out anything like that article you linked to, it should be a very interesting read.

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

i'd say: do one level. if people like it, continue. if people don't, stop. it's just speculation to worry about whether people will read all 32 levels or not if you haven't even done one yet. if people like reading that one, they'll like reading all 32. if they don't like reading that one, they won't like reading all 32.

it's kind of also hypothetical to know whether you'd do as good a job in analyzing a level as anna anthropy did. she's been writing about games for like 10+ years now? she's also a game developer with about a dozen games made? those aren't advantages you have, so you might not do anywhere near as good a job as making it interesting to read. maybe you will, maybe you won't, you can't know until you try one.

[Dustin Smith]

I guess it's settled then, I'll give it a shot. =) I'll have to stockpile a handful of reviews for PTT, but I'll start work on it tomorrow.

Tromack: I knew when I was writing the title that it wasn't the right word, but it was evocative of the length I'm shooting for.

Zara: Great idea! I think I'll post a world a week, or maybe prep up the first world (aka first four levels) and go with your plan.

Tesselode: I first read that article two years ago, and it was a really inspiring experience. I've been waiting for her to expound upon it ever since, and I guess I just got tired of waiting.

Thanks for the vote of confidence Paul. *nauseating wink* I kid, I kid, those are valid claims you're making. However, I've been enraptured in Super Mario games since I was 3, and have played Super Mario Bros. for the past fifteen. I have immersed myself in the 'language' of SMB for a decade and a half; for example, it is completely possible to beat the game without collecting a single coin (I have). I was going to say Roger Ebert does quite well for himself with only writing the screenplay for "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls", but that really isn't a good example. I'll keep your comment in mind, write about the first four levels and see what reception it gets.

[SirNiko]

I feel like you would not want to leave it at just the first level. The first stage of super mario bros is iconic. I would be shocked if not every person in this thread could accurately draw out every block and pipe, and even label which ones contain what.

It's stage 5-2 that would be the most interesting, because as you're reading this you're struggling to remember whether that was aboveground or underwater, let alone what thoughts might enter your head when playing it for the first time.

But yeah, I think this is an interesting idea and you should go forward with it, setting a goal to write up a single stage in a certain time period each day (one week, for example, and maybe a little faster for the first few levels just to get into the swing of it).

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

it doesn't have to be 1-1

[iffi]

I feel like you would not want to leave it at just the first level. The first stage of super mario bros is iconic. I would be shocked if not every person in this thread could accurately draw out every block and pipe, and even label which ones contain what.

You can be shocked now. (Though I would recognize it if you showed it to me)

I agree with analyzing one level first. I don't really care which level it is you choose first, since I'm not very familiar with the levels to begin with, but you should probably pick a well-known or iconic one, such as the first (or maybe the last?).

[Retrogames]

Absolutely.

I enjoyed the Auntie Pixelante article and would be interested in seeing that expanded. If you're up to it, go for it. I read a similar article on Castlevania III's first level a while ago, let me dig it up...

Fake Edit: Here it is; http://gamecareerguide.com/features/869/good_games_bad_design__episode_.php

[Dustin Smith]

I'll write my first article on 2-2, the first underwater level. I'm feeling like shit so I won't make any promises, but hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised with it sometime in January.