Sawyer Paul's Blog, page 12
January 19, 2020
january 19, 2020
January 17, 2020
january 17, 2020
January 16, 2020
january 16, 2020
January 15, 2020
january 15, 2020
January 13, 2020
Mario Maker 2 - First Three Created Levels
I made ten levels in the first Mario Maker, and I’ll likely make more than that in the second. The community in this game is much bigger, and it’s a lot more fun to make the levels.
Multiplayer is where I think people will have the most fun. I made my second level with that in mind, and it’ll definitely inform my designs going forward.
In playtesting these levels with people, I quickly realized that most folks aren’t all that good at Mario. I know that probably seems obvious, but it’s a good idea to make levels easier than you think. Even if you’re not that skilled a player, you know the layout of the level you’re making, but the player doesn’t. I think Mario Maker 2 has enough insanely difficult levels as it is, and it’s grown a reputation for being a sadistic playground. More nice levels!
My first level, Water Shells, is probably too hard. You can play it at B9Y-P0D-QYG, but it’s not that great. Mostly, I used it to familiarize myself with the Switch’s control scheme. It does, however, follow my Mario level design aesthetic, which is one enemy, one obstacle, and one power-up.
My second level, Snow Pokey Fire Hops, is definitely more fun. You can play it here: 8LD-V0W-MWF, and you can watch it below:
I learned something in playtesting the second level, though, which is that lots of people seem to not automatically run with Mario. This is definitely a habit I’ve picked up over the years. My thumb is rarely not on the run button while playing. But other players are much more cautious. So I thought I’d make a level where running wasn’t actually necessary or even encouraged. That made me make Spin Jump Piranha Plants, which you can find at GT4-71D-BB6. You can watch the level below:
Of course, if you don’t run, you might also not know about the spin jump in Super Mario World. But that’s okay. By the end of this level you’ll get pretty good at it. I hope you like these. More coming soon!
january 13, 2020
January 12, 2020
Logbook, January 6–12, 2020
Draft No. 4.
Violet Evergarden: History and Feminism.
On Being a Good Newsletterer.
I am beginning to suspect that having a massive following on YouTube does not make people happy.
‘Go to Where the Rawest Stories Occur’: An Interview with Chuck Palahniuk.
Old Man Blogs At Cloud.
The Sexiness Of Control.
How Do I Make Plans Without ‘Getting a Drink’?.
Roam: Why I Love It and How I Use It.
Managing my personal knowledge base.
Podcasts
Ep. #301 - Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker THE FLOP HOUSE JAN 4 ⋅ 1:49:17, This should be uncontroversial.
Movies
Wicked City, 1987 - ★★.
The Lighthouse, 2019 - ★★★½. Tom Waits sitting just off screen going “good, good.”
TV Shows
Progress made on Oresuki S1, Seinfeld S5, Year of the Rabbit S1, My Hero Academia S3.
Video Games
Made some Mario Maker levels. I’ll blog about that.
Good Tweets
Super simple here. Bulldoze it. Make the city itself car-free while you’re at it. Kill congestion and pollution in one shot. People will hate it but it’ll save the city. https://t.co/AxEsg3HBup
iTunes messing with Match playlist data a few years ago is what led me to ditch my digital collection. Finally got rid of it all last year. https://t.co/mcwKtc1l54
So if you do laundry and have warm sheets on a rainy Saturday you can just get back into bed right
Never stop being this weird, Nintendo. https://t.co/1dp5UhlPB3
January 5, 2020
Logbook, December 30, 2019–January 5, 2020
Sketch January 2, 2020
Fran’s Not Here 46 - Clapback for Catholics
Articles
The Oughts Are Dead, Long Live The Twenties.
It’s 2020 and you’re in the future.
‘Streaming has killed the mainstream’: the decade that broke popular culture.
The 2010s Is the Decade We Finally Stopped Obsessing Over How a Man ‘Should’ Dress.
My Secret to Setting a Balanced Block of Copy
Movies
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, 2019 - ★. All the Star Wars movies are bad now.
Dracula, 2020 - ★★★. Letterboxd needs to add some tv-based features so I can rate episode one-two 4 stars and episode three 2 stars. Some really great lines in the script, and overall a decent time on over-tread ground. But come for Van Helsing and stay for Van Helsing. She slaps.
TV Shows
Oresuki S1, My Hero Academia S2, Fleabag S2, and The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2019. Always a good time. Also, finally finished Hanna on Amazon Prime. Not bad!
Youtube
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
Final Fantasy: A Decade In Review (2010-2019)
Good Tweets
All right y’all I give up. I’ve got three things to plug into a tv and only two hdmi ports. Make this work for me.
I’d be disappointed by Terry Gilliam being an old racist idiot now, but we just had like, a decade of reckonings and realizations and stuff and I’m just, over it? Like, maybe I should just be happy he went so long not being one?
Sort of like treating a breakup of a long relationship as a success rather than a failure. We made it eight years, holy shit! I was a fan of Terry Gilliam for 30 years! And then he ended it by being shit. Not a bad run!
I started it in December, but my theme is friends. I want to strengthen my friendships and feel more connected to the people I care about.
January 3, 2020
Fran’s Not Here 46 - Clapback for Catholics
Listen to or download episode 46
Recorded live at the Free Times Cafe on December 10, 2019.
Eat a roast beef sandwich in a tub or whatever.
r/Kyle
Fran’s Not Here is a show about Toronto, co-hosted by Sawyer Paul and Robert Pilgrim. Read blog posts about each episode. Subscribe via
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Overcast
january 2, 2020
