The 'Shroom:Issue 227/Strategy Wing
Director's Notes
Written by: Hooded Pitohui (talk)
Hello, all you readers of The 'Shroom! I hope that you enjoyed the Lunar New Year, that sunsets don't feel too far away for those of you fasting for Ramadan, and/or that your Lent observance is off to a good start. May there be no large horses in your rooms, especially if they're on fire. Hm? Valentine's Day? Oh yeah, we had that, true, but I bet you've already seen another Team Director cover that in their notes. I guess I can retreat into a hole like a groundhog if I turn out to be wrong and none of the others mention it, though...
Anyhow, whether your February is jam-packed with activities and observances or you're limping through the end of a dreary month, a new Strategy Wing is here for your enjoyment! Unfortunately, So You Want to Romance the Three Kingdoms is going on a break, and Rhythm Review is off this month as well. Lunar New Year celebrations require an experienced choreographer, you see. On the flipside, we have the rest of your usual slate of sections ready and waiting, including a new Four Steps for a 3D World. Learn to shatter stone and withstand the power of a steaming train with Mega Man, to take on the Extinction - er, Extension - Corps from Brothership, and to wield the power of the Eviolite. We also have a rather unique role on feature this month for you Killing the Killing Game Roles fans!
Go forth and read! If you're feeling inspired afterwards to share some tips and tricks on your favorite games or to put them under the microscope and analyze their design, check red box on the sign-up page for instructions and send an application to MightyMario. Come tell us all about your favorite games. From the ongoing Deltarune to the newly-popular Escape from Ever After to Pizza Tower to Mario Kart to even TTRPGs or forum games, we'll cover most any game!
Section of the Month
[[SPARKPLUG [TALK]]], PENNING THAT [[UNAUTHORIZED GUIDE]] FOR [[LET'S MAKE A DEAL]] WAS A REAL [[BIG SHOT]] MOVE! Congratulations on taking a decisive victory last month, and on the simultaneous silver for your tips on gunning down Gravity Man and cracking Crystal Man, among others. Let me also give thanks to Waluigi Time (talk) for his feature on the return of Chargin' Chucks to the spotlight, and to Roserade (talk) for their thoughtful analysis of a AKG3's Ultimate Ghost. There's a wonderful team of writers behind Strategy Wing, so please do keep showing them your support!
| STRATEGY WING SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Section | Votes | % | Writer |
| 1st | BE A BIG SHOT! | 7 | 41.18% | Sparks (talk) |
| 2nd | An Overly Detailed and Funny Walkthrough of Mega Man 5 | 3 | 17.65% | Sparks (talk) |
| 3rd | Rising from Obscurity | 2 | 11.76% | Waluigi Time (talk) |
| 3rd | Killing the Killing Game Roles | 2 | 11.76% | Roserade (talk) |
Brothership Boss Battle Guide
Welcome back to Brothership Boss Battle Guide, just the section to beat all those big bad bosses in Mario & Luigi: Brothership! Last month I went over Glohm Sharpcask, the second of the three optional Glohm bosses in the game. For February, we're looking at the Extension Corps, Zokket's three goofy henchmen!
After a long and difficult journey, Mario and Luigi arrive at Fortress Zokket to put an end to Zokket and his plans once and for all. Unfortunately, the Extension Corps hinder the brothers by separating them. What they didn't account for is their incredible teamwork! Now reunited, Mario and Luigi must defeat the Extension Corps before taking on Zokket.
Here are the stats of each Extension Corps member!
Extension Corps stats
Ecks' stats
| Image | Level | Location | HP | POW | DEF | SPD | Type | EXP | Coins | Item(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
39 | Fortress Zokket | 3741 | 198 | 144 | 178 | Zok Troop, Flying | 5700 | 450 | Max Syrup Jar |
Ten's stats
| Image | Level | Location | HP | POW | DEF | SPD | Type | EXP | Coins | Item(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
39 | Fortress Zokket | 4208 | 202 | 152 | 163 | Zok Troop | 5700 | 450 | Max Nut |
Shun's stats
| Image | Level | Location | HP | POW | DEF | SPD | Type | EXP | Coins | Item(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
39 | Fortress Zokket | 4675 | 196 | 192 | 104 | Zok Troop | 5700 | 450 | Max Mushroom |
Extension Corps' abilities
Each member has their own attacks:
Ecks' attacks
Ecks has two attacks at his disposal:
Hyper charging: Ecks "dashes" around the battlefield and frequently stops at specific spots before resuming. Some of these spots are directly in front of Mario and Luigi. Ecks must be countered at the right time to damage him and stop the attack. If you take too long (ha!) he will attack a brother.
Sneak attack: Sometimes Ecks leaves the battle, making him unable to be attacked while he's gone. After a turn or two, he will attempt to sneak up behind Mario or Luigi before charging at them. Ecks must be jumped over to avoid taking damage. If timed right, he can be stomped on, damaging him.
If you get hit by any of Ecks' attacks, he will steal a random Battle Plug from you before tossing it away! If this occurs, you won't be able to use that Battle Plug for the rest of the fight, so defend well!
Ten's attacks
Remember Ten's battle at Desolatt Island? He only had two attacks then, and he still uses them for this battle, although they aren't changed in any way.
- Mirror attack: Ten creates five mirrors and shoots multiple orb-like projectiles (one at a time) that ricochet off the mirrors before being sent toward Mario and Luigi. The orbs must be countered to avoid damage, and each orb struck will be knocked back at Ten, damaging him. If an orb hits the red mirror, then Mario will be attacked. The green mirror is for Luigi.
- Orb charge: Ten creates a large orb and jumps on top of it. He will then charge towards either Mario or Luigi, who must counterattack before he gets rammed. If successful, the orb will crack and get knocked back a little before Ten charges again. After the third strike, the orb will shatter, and Ten will fall to the ground in front of his target. Ten can then be whacked, damaging him. This attack can cause the Trip status effect.
However, Ten has a brand new attack that he didn't do before:
- "Dancing" attack: Ten stands at a set distance in front of Mario or Luigi. He will then do one of two things:
- He can step twice in a rhythm before jumping forward and slamming his head at his target. To avoid damage, Ten must be countered before the character gets hurt. Countering Ten does not do any damage to him.
- Ten can charge up his arm cannon before firing an orb. If the orb is countered, it will be sent back at Ten, damaging him.
- Ten can randomly change targets after he does an attack. After multiple attacks, Ten's arm cannon will gain a pink energy blade and the enemy will spin towards his target in an attempt to strike him. Ten must be countered before he can get the chance! After this, the attack ends.
Ten does not have the ability to summon Snaptors in this fight.
Shun's attacks
- Weight toss: A barbell falls and Shun catches it. He will then lift it up and down three times before throwing it at Mario or Luigi. The barbell must be jumped over to dodge the attack; successfully avoiding it will cause the thrown barbell to fly into either Ecks or Ten from behind, damaging them. You can see where Shun will throw the barbell because he faces his target, although he may change directions as he's pumping iron. Sometimes, Shun may struggle to catch the barbell, indicated by his slower movements and loss of balance upon catching it. If this happens, he will only lift it up twice before tossing it seconds later. This attack can cause the Trip status effect.
- Later on in the battle, Shun will instead use two small dumbbells and count to four before throwing them at both Bros. If Shun's right arm is raised at the end, then he will throw towards Mario first before Luigi. The left arm last means it's Luigi then Mario. Both Bros. can jump at the same time to avoid this attack because he throws both dumbbells almost instantly. If avoided, the dumbbells get sent at the backs of Ecks and Ten, damaging them! This variation may also cause the Trip status effect.
Teamwork
After a few turns pass, the Extension Corps reveals that they have Battle Plugs as well! There are four Battle Plugs they can use, each with specific conditions:
- HUUUGE Iron Ball Plug: Available when the Extension Corps mention they have Battle Plugs, which isn't far into the fight. Whenever Mario or Luigi take damage, Iron Balls will immediately fall on random characters. Rays of light indicate where Iron Balls will fall. The Bros. must use their hammers to knock them away before they take damage. Countering an Iron Ball will send it at one of the Extension Corps members, damaging them. Sometimes, Iron Balls fall on the enemies instead, making for free damage! The more hits you take from an attack, the more Iron Balls there will be.
- PunishMush Plug: Available after a few turns since the HUUUGE Iron Ball Plug is used. Any Mushrooms used by Mario and Luigi will hurt them instead of healing! Other healing items like Candies and Nuts aren't affected.
- Theme Song Plug: Becomes available a few turns after the PunishMush Plug is used. The Extension Corps all dance to music, permanently increasing their POW for the rest of the bout.
- Single-Minded Plug: Available when one of the Extension Corps members loses all of his HP. This Battle Plug combines the HP of all three Extension Corps members, meaning they all share HP and therefore, all take damage when one is attacked. If the Extension Corps members take lots of damage, they may get angry and beat each other up before calming down. If this happens, they'll do damage to themselves. Nice!
After the Single-Minded Plug is used, the Extension Corps gain a new attack - one where they all work together!
- Trio Attack: The Extension Corps all work together to bring an attack with three different parts to it:
- Ten's shots: Ten charges up for several seconds before firing orbs at targeted locations one right after the other. While he's charging, targets appear at the places he's going to shoot at in a random order. Ten will then shoot in that exact pattern, so memorize it! Jump over those projectiles. While he's firing, Ecks may start his part of the attack.
- Ecks' dashing: Ecks prepares himself before flying towards the left or right side of the screen. Sometimes he may turn around about once or twice before zooming off for good. He will then charge where Mario and Luigi are standing three times. Both Bros. must jump to avoid Ecks' charges. If he goes left, then Luigi must jump first. If Ecks flies to the right, that means Mario is targeted before Luigi. If Ecks is jumped on, his part of the attack stops and all Extension Corps members take damage. While Ecks is dashing, Shun may start up his section of the attack.
- Shun's punching bag: Shun stands behind the Bros. and punches a punching bag. After some punches, he will uppercut it, launching it into the air. It will then fall on either Mario or Luigi, who must hit it back at Shun to avoid taking damage. Shun looks directly above the character on which the punching bag will fall on. You can also tell by which arm he uses to uppercut it - left for Luigi, right for Mario. Successfully countering this attack will damage all Extension Corps members. While the punching bag falls, Ten may start his part of the attack.
This is a complicated attack to explain. Furthermore, this attack can start with any Extension Corps member. If Ecks or Shun are countered during their attacks, then this will cancel out some attacks entirely. Shun stands behind and punches a punching bag while Ecks flies at the Bros., right? If Ecks is countered, then Shun's attack will not happen and Ten will start charging up for his move. That means if Shun's punching bag attack is defended against, then Ten's attack will cancel, and Ecks starts his move. It always goes from Ecks, then Shun, then Ten, then back to Ecks, although who starts the trio attack is always random. Additionally, this move may last for more than three "parts", so one member may get a bonus opportunity to attack.
When every member loses all their HP, the final Battle Plug is used:
- Invincible Plug: The Extension Corps become impervious to all damage! However, there is a slight side effect; after a few turns, they will all explode. There are three explosions total, and they cannot be avoided, only be Emergency Guarded against. Afterwards, the Extension Corps collapses in defeat, and the battle is won.
There are no Luigi Logics in this fight. I should also mention that throughout the entire battle, you can't see the remaining HP of the Extension Corps.
Tips and tricks
Recommended gear
These three are fought directly at Fortress Zokket, which isn't very long if you fight Glohm Sharpcask right before going there! Conveniently, there is a peddler available just before facing the Extension Corps! He has the same gear as the one on Jellyfish Island:
- Boots: Astonishing Boots/Supersonic Boots
- Hammer: Astonishing Hammer/Steel Hammer
- Wear: Astonishing Wear/Hex Wear
Oh man, I don't want to write all the special gear descriptions again... there's so many! If you want detailed descriptions of them, please look at the previous issue.
- Supersonic Boots: 4 points stronger than Astonishing Boots, increases damage dealt depending on how much SPEED you have; great for Mario
- Steel Hammer: Four points stronger than Astonishing Hammer, increases damage dealt depending on how much DEF you have, great for Luigi
- Hex Wear: Two points stronger than Astonishing Wear, attacked foes will have their POW and DEF decreased by 10%
Don't use Double-Edged stuff.
These are the Great Conductor gear pieces that will REALLY help you out. However, once you arrive at Fortress Zokket, there's no turning back! Make sure you equip these before moving on:
- Great Conductor Boots: 16 points stronger than Astonishing Boots, and also increases SPEED by 8 and STACHE by 5
- Great Conductor Hammer: 16 points stronger than Astonishing Hammer, and also increases 7 points to DEF and 5 points to STACHE
- Great Conductor Wear: 9 points stronger than Astonishing Wear, and increases STACHE by 12
Cue the long list containing gear of similar strength that isn't found at shops!
- Gobblick Boots DX: 4 points stronger than Astonishing Boots and increases STACHE by 5. Also allows its wearer to heal 10% of all damage dealt.
- Forge Boots DX: Awarded for clearing the Jellyfish Pizza minigame on hard mode. It is 23 points stronger than Astonishing Boots, and also has the passive ability of increasing damage dealt by 30% when the wearer's HP is low.
- Adaphnikki Boots and Adaphne Boots: They have the same POW as Great Conductor Boots, but both have unique properties. Adaphnikki Boots increases damage dealt with Jump-attack combos by 30%, while Adaphne Boots increases the strength of single Jump attacks by 30%. You likely won't use normal attacks against the Extension Corps, so either are fine. You can only get one of these Boots, and they're both from the Dueling Geniuses side quest. If you let both Adaphne and Technikki work together, you'll get the Adaphnikki Boots. If Adaphne worked on her own, then you'll receive Adaphne Boots instead.
- Full-Belly Hammer DX: Stronger than Astonishing Hammer by 4 points, and also increases damage dealt by 30% when HP is full! Found inside a ? Block on Conductor Island.
- Dodgy Jump Wear: Found inside a ? Block in the back door of Bowser's Castle on Wayaway Island. It's the same strength as Hex Wear (two points stronger than Astonishing Wear) but also reduces damage taken by 20% if you fail to dodge an attack.
- Repel Wear DX: Found after clearing a puzzle on Morsel Islet. It's 21 points stronger than Astonishing Wear. It also has the bonus of reducing damage taken, for the more enemies there are, the less damage you'll take!
- Blocky Hammer Wear DX: Found inside a ? Block on Dropplet Islet, but you'll have to take down three Glohm Shower Fish to get it. It is 9 points stronger than Astonishing Wear, but it also increases SPEED by 4 and decreases damage taken by 20% if you miss countering an attack.
- Zokket Wear: Found inside a Hidden ? Block at Fortress Zokket. It is 9 points stronger than Astonishing Wear and also increases SPEED by 4. Furthermore, it reduces damage taken by 30% when the other brother is absent or KO'd, allowing for a less stressful revive when fighting as a duo. Finally something new!
Use whatever gloves and accessories you wish! Bring ones that fit your playstyle.
Recommended Battle Plugs
Here are my choices for Battle Plugs I recommend for facing the Extension Corps! You can also bring ones that suit your playstyle.
Anti-Zokket Specialist: All three of these guys serve Zokket, so of course they'd be classified as Zok Troops!
Attack Boost combined with two Surprise Iron Balls and Kaboom Attack: Takes up four slots, but unleash very powerful normal attacks with double Iron Balls and shockwaves! Attack Ten so that the shockwave hits both Shun and Ecks. You will have five slots before this battle, so you could make that fifth one be "Anti-Zokket Specialist" for more mayhem! And the best part is, no BP required!
Damage Shield: Their attacks aren't incredibly powerful and usually rely on multiple smaller hits. Damage Shield helps with that!
Protectus: One of the few ways to "avoid" the final explosions at the end. Don't waste its charges beforehand!
Empower Counters: The Extension Corps have plenty of attacks that can be counterattacked. Take advantage of that with this Battle Plug!
Surefooted Guard: For those who hate tripping.
Other things
It's totally fine to use 1-Up Mushrooms while the PunishMush Plug is active! It only affects standard Mushroom items (Mushroom, Super, Ultra, Max).
- However, don't use the Auto Mushroom Battle Plug! It'll work against you, not for you.
If you're strong enough, you can win this battle before the Extension Corps use all of their Battle Plugs. I never saw them use the Theme Song one!
If you spread out the damage throughout the fight, then the Extension Corps will have less time to use the Single-Minded Plug because none have lost all their HP yet.
Bomb Derby and Yoo Who Cannon are very effective during this battle. They deal adequate damage to all members, but they're even better when they all share HP because of their final attacks!
Once the Extension Corps become invincible, there's no point in attacking them. Prepare yourself for the explosions!
- The explosions can simply be avoided by using a Boo Biscuit.
Ecks' "Hyper charging" attack gives you plenty of time to counter him before he strikes. Try to remember where he rushes to and time your counter correctly. You could whack every second, but you might miss...
If Ecks steals one of your most vital Battle Plugs, don't freak out and swap it for something else. You'll regain all stolen Battle Plugs after you win!
A reminder that Ecks counts as a flying enemy. Were you wondering why he wasn't attacked by Clockout Blow? Now you know!
During Ten's part of the trio attack, the targets are color coded! Red ones are aimed at Mario, green ones are for Luigi, and blue ones miss completely.
And that's the Extension Corps! Up next is going to be the main villain of the game - Zokket! You don't wanna miss out on an amazing fight, so you? Be sure to return in March for the final battle! Okay... it's not the last boss, but still. It'll be awesome!
Killing the Killing Game Roles
Welcome back, readers, to another edition of Killing the Killing Game Roles, the section where we analyze various player roles from past Mario Boards Killing Games in hope of answering the question, what makes for a good role? By analyzing what's come before, we can discover some tricks and tips that could even help you design your own roles!
February is renowned as the month of love, but for those of us without valentines to celebrate with, there might be some... negative feelings surrounding the holiday. Thankfully, if negativity is what you're after, there's a role from Awards Killing Game Odyssey just for you - and accepting that energy might open you up to a whole new world of possibilities.
AKGO - Chaos Minus, the Negative Influence
Card 1 - Info
- NAME: PERIDOT
- VESSEL: CETUS
- ROOM: PORT-7
You are a stranger to these lands, are you not? What compelled you to come here from the lands of salt, good showcases of creativity and... unmentionables that cannot be brought to these lands? Well, you are here now, so no matter. Use your abilities wisely, and spread a negative influence throughout these lands while you take a cruise.
Card 2 - Role
- You, as a stranger from a distant land who exerts a negative influence, have selected a role from a Minus World KG: the Ultimate Plague Knight.
- With your negatively influenced powers, you have the magical ability to conjure and throw small bombs, at a limit of three per night. However, the explosions are not very strong, so they have a very low chance of killing anyone. They can, however, guarantee someone is knocked out, and you can use them to propel yourself upwards with the force of an explosion, for a special Bomb Jump. Unlike others, you are not hurt by this; you are immune to the effects.
Card 3 - Role cont.
- You also possess an extreme natural skill with chemistry, and as long as you can find the required chemicals, can make any chemical compound you wish, including other explosives, poisons, and more. You can also use the chemicals to enhance your existing Bomb Jump bombs, but these effects need to be discussed with the hosts before these can take effect.
- Your cabin has been fitted with a mannequin that holds an iconic Plague Knight outfit. You can put that on, if you want, but it is not a disguise.
Card 4 - Stats
- STAMINA: 3/5
- STEALTH: 2/5
- SOCIAL: 2/5
- SPEED: 4/5
- STRENGTH: 2/5
[FORBIDDEN ACTION]
You are not allowed to, in any way, touch a shovel, be it by touching it yourself or by having someone else touch or hit you with one. You are also not allowed to tell anyone the origin of this role, or admit that it's from Minus World in any way.
You didn't suggest Baby Sans Thanos. Congratulations on not dying prematurely!
Well now, this is an intriguing one. The powerset itself seems pretty straightforward in its inspiration and aim, but then... what's all this about a visitor from a distant land? We'll discuss this in just a minute, but for some added context, the Negative Influence was given to MoonAge for the Cetus ship, meaning this is now Moon's third time being named in this section! A new record, wow! While Moon's run as Peridot would end fairly early, she would be sure to return later in Awards Randomizer Killing Game, utilizing the Secret Player role we've analyzed previously. A bit of a complex history for this character, I've gotta say.
General Overview
The Negative Influence is our first example of an archetype I will dub as a "crossover role". There have been a lot of Killing Games in the history of both the Mario Boards and Minus World, and legitimately hundreds of roles that have been utilized in the past. Crossover roles, then, are roles where a player in a current game can borrow role abilities from a past KG. This has been seen multiple times in both communities: Awards Killing Game 3 had this with the Boo Buddy role, allowing its user to pick from a catalog of Awards Killing Game 2 powers; Killing Game 8 on Minus World had a role which had its user select a role from a Mario Boards KG. In the case of the Negative Influence, Moon was allowed to pick a role from a past Minus World game to inherit in its entirety. For this purpose, she chose the Ultimate Plague Knight, based on the character of the same name from the Shovel Knight series. The Baby Sans Thanos joke on the final slide is a reference to another Minus World role she could've picked.
What does a crossover role actually accomplish for the game as a whole, though? Does it exist as purely a fun nod to the past? I wouldn't say so. I would argue that crossover roles can, in essence, act as a "reward" for someone participating in past KGs. MoonAge is a prolific player on both Mario Boards and Minus World, so giving her the Negative Influence rewards her history on both sites, giving her the opportunity to gain a role of interest through her recall. Additionally, inheriting a past role power gives the player who has it the benefit of hindsight. There's been an entire Killing Game to see how it functioned, how its previous holder did or didn't use it efficiently, and how it could be utilized in new ways. For a powerful role that was knocked out of the pool on something like Night 2, it can be an excellent opportunity to give a power more limelight than it had before. In both of these ways, a crossover role presents a unique angle of consideration for the player who receives it.
Because of the nature of the Negative Influence, we'll be conducting our analysis with a two-pronged approach: we'll further discuss the nature of the "select a Minus World role" part, which will likely err on the side of "meta" analysis; in a more straightforward way, we'll be dissecting the Ultimate Plague Knight as written, and see how its powers worked in practice for AKGO.
Ability Application
Already, when we're looking at "ability application" as a broad category, the Negative Influence sits in a particular league with its "crossover role" peers. Because, like, this role could do... technically anything. Sure, it can't do anything on any night of the game, but there have been so many Killing Game roles before that there's a discoverable niche for just about anything. You could be a puppeteer, a magic caster, a cult leader, a movie director. You could have fire powers, be impervious to gunshots, constantly mutate into a stronger monster every night. There's been blackmailers and sushi chefs and everything in between. As long as somebody's cooked up a rolecard for it before, it's all yours. This is a tremendous amount of power out of the gate, though your initial decision will naturally railroad your gameplay for the rest of the game.
I'd be curious to hear more from MoonAge sometime about her choice with the Ultimate Plague Knight. There have been some other roles on Minus World I'd be more keen to snag, but I imagine this was mostly about the in-character powerset that Peridot would feasibly have.
Anyway, onto the Ultimate Plague Knight role. First, there's the ability to conjure small bombs. Although the explosions aren't particularly potent, they can be used well both offensively and defensively when it comes to knocking someone out. Submitting to keep one snug in your fist in case someone jumps you would be an easy protective measure, especially when you're immune to the explosive effects yourself. These bombs can also be used for the Bomb Jump, which is better suited for map exploration than anything else, but likewise can put you in a good defensive position, if you're launching yourself out of harm's way. I'd want to know a bit more about the landing for this skill; is it a hard descent, or does it act as more of a float to solid ground? More clarity about its use in vertical/horizontal movement would also help out.
Then there's the natural skill with chemistry, which is a bit... vague in its application. Overall, I understand the aim of the natural affinity towards chemistry, and how it's meant to engage with the Bomb Jump ability. But when the role says "as long as you can find the required chemicals, [you] can make any chemical compound you wish", my eyebrows furrow, because isn't that what any player in the game can do? Chemical kills are not entirely uncommon (just look at Hooded Pitohui's history of kill attempts), so what makes this ability different here? Is the player required to actually know the science of chemistry, or can they just improvise some stuff together and say it's a freezing agent? Or maybe the components just come together magically, as opposed to needing a full set of vials and beakers to brew the chemical? A clearer distinction of how this operates functionally would improve this role's overall vision, I feel. As it stands, it's intentionally left open-ended presumably to allow for player creativity, but it feels too loose in what it's expecting of the player.
Lastly, there's the Plague Knight outfit, which also feels like an odd outlier in this role design. It doesn't count as a disguise? Why not? Costumes disguising true identities is a major component of KG gameplay, and I don't quite see why the Plague Knight outfit is being treated differently. Giving a player a costume upfront is pretty powerful, don't get me wrong, but I don't know if it needed to be weighted this way. If the Plague Knight costume isn't really a disguise, there's no functionality to it whatsoever, and I don't know how much KG roles need an attribute that is strictly cosmetic with no gain.
Environmental Functionality
When it comes to designing the map around the Negative Influence... I mean, it's kind of impossible, right? You need to be prepared for anything the role might bring with it, because there are past roles that are centralized on map features. Some roles even spawn in entire rooms with their abilities! So if you're hosting a game with a pick-a-power role like this, you'll need to leave yourself open to a new map addition by necessity.
As for the Ultimate Plague Knight, there's not a ton of environmental factors at play. You'll probably want chemicals or ingredients to be readily available around the map, though, if that's the angle you want the chemistry ability to take. The Bomb Jumps would also be better suited to a map with some verticality to it; my new hit map, Perfectly Flat Plains, would provide less intrigue for the Ultimate Plague Knight.
Drawbacks & Balances
As for the balancing factor of this role, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that the hosts would veto any role choices from Minus World that could be overtly overpowered. With how many roles exist in the world, there are bound to be a few not tuned enough to be balanced (believe me, I would know). So though I would've aimed for a different role, I can't imagine boarding the ship with the powers of a god under my arm. Vetoing a role request is a luxury any host is afforded, at any time; though leniency should be considered, don't be so lenient as to let something completely break your game's foundation.
With the Ultimate Plague Knight, there are a few built-in limitations. The magically-conjured bombs amount to three per night, which is a fair cut-off that aligns with Plague Knight's mechanics in Shovel Knight. Having an infinite supply of those things would be obnoxious. The chemical adjustments to the Bomb Jump require explicit host approval - although that would kind of be the case regardless of whether or not the rolecard mentions this. And as discussed before, the Plague Knight costume only really functions as an aesthetic detail.
Lastly, we have the Forbidden Actions to look at. The Ultimate Plague Knight cannot touch a shovel in any way, which is... not all that bad of an FA, especially when you consider that a cruise ship is unlikely to house many shovels anywhere. It would require more precautions against melee attacks for the Plague Knight, though; you wouldn't want someone knocking you out to turn completely fatal. Then there's the clause of not being able to confirm where the role comes from. A wide number of roles in KG history have had secrecy FA's like this, and I'm somewhat torn on them. Usually, they're included out of flavor over anything else - you're a mysterious traveller from another land, so you can't share where you actually come from, that kind of deal. I feel like secrecy FA's don't add too interesting of a dynamic to a role, though. Typically, it just means you get sussed a bit more because you're being cagey about your abilities during a case, which is only sometimes relevant. That said, being able to say "my FA is that I can't tell you" is sometimes a great deflection if someone is threatening you over sharing role details!
Player Responsibility
When a player receives the Negative Influence, a hefty burden is placed on their shoulders: picking which role they're going to recycle! The Minus World catalog is brimming with potential powers, and selecting one determines many of your aims for the game you're about to play. This is a much different mechanical premise than being given a pre-written role; this is basically the host saying "alright smart guy, you figure it out!" The Negative Influence in particular would be basically required to go to someone with Minus World familiarity. Giving this role to someone who has no history with their KG's would be, frankly, cruel.
Little responsibility exists for the Plague Knight proper, however. This is a straightforward power kit with straightforward applications. Depending on the intention of the chemistry power, it could be that the player needs to do some outside research to figure out what they're making and how they're making it. If it's a little more fantastical than straight science, that responsibility decreases notably. Otherwise, keep a creative mind and an awareness of your FA's, and you're set.
Host Responsibility
For the Negative Influence, the host is responsible for who the role goes to, which is an important aspect. Pure randomization could lead to a bad outcome for the recipient. They are also responsible for accepting or denying a role request, and then crucially, adapting said request into the game they're putting together. This might mean slightly altering role traits that don't work mechanically in the game, or introducing new NPC's, map rooms, etc. depending on the role's needs. Really, what the Negative Influence demands of a host is flexibility and adaptability, with the discerning eyes to still say when a role shouldn't be chosen. Preferably, a seasoned host (or at least one who has played a good number of KG's) would be the one to manage this role, as they're more likely to be familiar with the past role being selected.
For the Ultimate Plague Knight, the host has a similar kind of responsibilty, though at a much smaller scale. The host still needs to determine what's a fair use of the chemistry ability, and how creations can interact with the Bomb Jump ability. Beyond that, count off the magic bombs to ensure there's only three, and it should be coasting from there.
Overall Thoughts
Crossover roles like the Negative Influence provide a special form of engagement between host, player, and KG history, and for this reason, I think they're well-worth including in KG. It's up to the player to determine their own power level, and it's up to the host to keep that power in check. If you're looking to include a role like this in your future KG, be mindful of what seems fair and what seems busted, and maybe even consider fun ways to flavor the role beyond just saying "pick a power". Something like "You may choose any past role associated with fire" would help to limit a massive scope, and add some extra flavor to what you're cooking. Whatever your framing is, just keep an open mind, and a player's genius is bound to show in what they choose.
That’s all for this month. Tune in next month for more Killing Game goodness!
Four Steps for a 3D World
Written by: Hooded Pitohui (talk)
Hello, all you readers of The 'Shroom, and welcome back to Four Steps for a 3D World, a section in which we look at levels from a selection of 3D Super Mario titles through the lens of a design philosophy Koichi Hayashida discussed in an interview.
In brief, 3D Mario game levels in certain titles are designed around an introduction that lets a player learn a mechanic in a safe environment, further development that builds on what the player is learning and introduces more complicated aspects of a mechanic, a twist that adds some kind of significant wrinkle or challenge to force players to consider the mechanic from a new angle, and a conclusion which gives players one final satisfying chance to show they've mastered the mechanic. We look at 3D Mario levels and see if they conform to this model while trying to get some insight on how a good level is constructed.
A number of countries have recently passed Día del Amor y la Amistad, Día de los Enamorados, Valentine's Day, or whatever one might call it locally. Whether celebrating romance or friendship, taking a trip to see a rare and lovely sight offers plenty of time to appreciate one another and deepen a bond. In that spirit, could there be any Super Mario level more befitting the holiday than Super Mario 64's Rainbow Ride? Picture it - taking your beloved on a ride upon a magic carpet, isolated from the world and high above all of your worries, following spiraling rainbows through the boundless skies.
Although, there are no safety restraints, and it would be rather frightening on a blustery day... On second thought, perhaps a cruise through the skies is better left to fictional plumbers... Fortunately, the Super Mario 64 developers have already designed an itinerary for Mario's cruise for one.
Rainbow Ride, as one of the last levels unlocked in the game, occupies a strange space compared to most of the levels we've covered previously. So late into the game, Super Mario 64 has imparted many of its lessons already. Does that mean it gets to eschew our familiar four steps, assuming players know all it has to offer? To find out, let's see how Rainbow Ride introduces itself by dissecting its first mission, "Cruiser Crossing the Rainbow".
| Step | Notes |
|---|---|
Introduction 
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The mission begins with a textbook Introduction step. Mario begins on an isolated platform with nothing nearby except a carpet and a rainbow. With nowhere else to go, a player jumps on the carpet and discovers it moves, following the rainbow. The path takes the carpet under a block which players must jump over in order to avoid being pushed off, teaching players they will need to proactively jump over obstacles during these rides. The carpet and Mario approach a circular platform with an Amp and a ring of coins, with a nearby Flamethrower spitting a stream of fire directly in the carpet's path. By hopping onto this circular platform, players can bypass the Flamethrower then return to the carpet. This takes just about enough time for the carpet to begin blinking, signaling it will shortly vanish. Through this, not only is the lesson that players will need to jump on and off to avoid obstacles reinforced, but players also learn that they need to avoid stepping off the carpet for too long a period to prevent it from despawning. It's a short, simple ride which teaches players all the basic mechanics of the carpets found throughout this individual mission and Rainbow Ride as a level. |
I need to interrupt things to highlight the circular platform a bit more, because it's an incredible bit of design. The first block encountered on this ride is easy enough to jump right over. Mario can jump off the carpet and land directly back on it while clearing the obstacle. Even if a player lands on the block, they'll spend such a short time on it before stepping back onto the carpet that it offers no lesson on the carpet's despawning. The developers needed a larger platform to teach players not to linger while off the carpet, and they needed to ensure players would be lured into spending a little time on it.
That's where the combination of coins and Flamethrower come in. Learning that the carpet follows the rainbow, when players see the Flamethrower, it's likely that they'll see the opportunity to hop off on the circular platform and catch up with the carpet on the other side to skip the flames entirely. Even if they don't catch on to that opportunity, the coins are there to lure them to the platform, and if they did hop off to avoid the flames, they'll likely spend a moment collecting the coins regardless. Whether they're distracted by the ring of coins alone or they're waiting for the carpet to pass the flames, players linger on the circular platform just long enough for the carpet to begin flickering. There's a cushion here, with the platform being small enough that most players will reach the flickering carpet before it disappears. I imagine the developers worked hard to fine tune the timing of the Flamethrower and carpet and the size of the platform, because it lines up remarkably well.
Say players don't care about the coins, though, or try to pass through the fire without hopping off. Even in these scenarios, the circular platform does its duty. A player beelining across the platform without collecting the coins stands a decent chance of getting zapped by the Amp, which stuns them just long enough for the carpet to pass the flames and begin flickering. While Mario sometimes runs off into the void, in my experience, getting hit by the flames caused Mario to run onto the circular platform more often than not. After I regained control of him, the carpet was still close enough to be hopped onto, and often flickering. This is an Introduction that accounts for multiple types of players, offering multiple incentives and obstacles to all but ensure players will learn the mechanics of the carpet no matter their exact experience.
| Step | Notes |
|---|---|
Crossroads #1 
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That first carpet reaches the end of its rainbow just as it arrives at four large, spinning platforms arranged in a diamond shape. The platforms are large and have a smattering of coins on them, luring players to jump to them before the carpet falls away into the void. Here, depending on which direction players go, they'll end up in different parts of the level altogether. The first platform that players jump on slowly rotates counterclockwise, carrying players towards the platform to their right. This platform also has a ring of coins on it, encouraging players to jump over. In this way, this mission subtly nudges players towards the correct path for its star. |
Development 
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Hopping over to another carpet, players go on a longer ride with a few more blocks as obstacles. One pair of blocks requires players to jump over the first while allowing them to jump over or duck under the second. A second pair is close enough players can directly hop from one block to another without touching the carpet, but at the risk of the carpet beginning to flicker. This can especially crop up if players stop to break the box on this second set of blocks. There isn't much that is added here, but the route is considerably longer and asks players to navigate slightly more complex obstacle arrangements, so it's safe to call it a Development step. It requires players engage further with the carpet mechanics they were recently taught. |
Crossroads #2 
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The carpet arrives at the end of its path, and players are presented with two new carpets to choose from. If they fail to choose and get off, their current carpet will fall, carrying them to... the four circular platforms from the first crossroads. This helps players who breezed past the end of the introductory carpet's path and didn't realize the carpets fall away, giving them a chance to recover and resume rather than sending them to the void. Unfortunately, the mission stumbles a bit here. Unlike the first crossroads, nothing nudges players towards the correct path for this mission (the left). There are some Donut Blocks visible to the right, but there are also poles visible to the left, so neither path immediately stands out as easier for players. |
Twist 
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Hopping onto the left carpet, players take a spiraling ride up and around a large spinning platform with two bars jutting out of its top and a Flamethrower at its base. This is a solid Twist section. At its core, it's still asking players to dodge obstacles as they ride, but the ride takes them through the same obstacles multiple times, and those obstacles are in constant motion as well. The blocks are no longer the only source of challenge; the carpet's movements themselves now carry the player back into danger. The spinning platform also has a 1-Up Mushroom on it, optionally challenging players to hop onto it and return to the carpet, keeping abreast of its spinning bars and how much time they're spending away from the carpet. After making its spiraling climb, the carpet forces players to go over a few more blocks of varying heights, to jump over a sloped block which they can't land on, and to jump onto some Donut Blocks before it reaches the end of its path. The sloped block and the Donut Blocks expand on the mechanics of the magic carpets by showing that players won't always be able to safely jump atop obstacles they encounter while riding. |
Conclusion 
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After jumping off the Donut Blocks, players arrive at a large platform that functions as something of an aerial dock. There are no challenges here, with a plank of wood leading to the Rainbow Cruiser itself. A Bob-omb wanders around and there's a bit of wind blocking from the bow towards the stern, but they pose little threat. The Power Star awaits at the ship's bow. The satisfaction here mostly comes from the setpiece. There's no final carpet-related challenge to overcome, setting it apart from later games like 3D World, but it makes up for it with seeing a winged ship feeling pretty cool. |
Stepping back to look at the big picture, we have a mission that follows our familiar four steps closely! The Conclusion isn't quite as closely tied to the main mechanic as it would come to be in later games, true. If this were 3D World or even Galaxy 2, there might be a carpet with a short pathway placed on the ship, leading to the Power Star/top of the Goal Pole. Still, the experience of arriving at the Rainbow Cruiser, with its surprisingly concrete design compared to the abstract platforms dominating the level, makes a solid substitute for that last challenge.
We did have some Crossroads interspersed among our four steps. I see that as a necessity for this style of level in this style of game. In a game like Galaxy or Galaxy 2, the different routes would be separated by vast distances, and each mission would whisk players away to a different route by making certain Launch Stars exclusive to each mission. With Super Mario 64 having a sandbox design, you can't box off parts of the level and put strict walls between missions. Rainbow Ride, being platforms floating in a void, is forced to offer clear forks in the road to balance the game's sandbox design with its linear platforming challenges. These work fine, but I wish that the second fork did more to nudge players onto the correct path for the first mission, though. The mission is really well designed! Players should experience it as their introduction to Rainbow Ride! If I were to tweak the design, I would move the carpet on the right a little further away and make players cross some Donut Blocks to reach it. As a simple obstacle, they wouldn't render it too inaccessible, especially if they were positioned to fall to the first crossroads platforms as a mercy to players, but they would nudge cautious players to the left carpet.
Before we dug into the mission, I raised the possibility that it could eschew the four steps altogether since it comes so late into the game. So why doesn't it? Why doesn't it assume players know the game and hit them with a challenging gauntlet of all that has come before to test what they've already learned? The immediate answer is that it isn't the final level; challenges need to be saved for "Bowser in the Sky". Going further than that, though, I would posit players tend to most remember the beginning of a game and the end of a game. Through the first few levels, players devote more mental resources to acclimating to the game's design, and so they retain more memories of that portion. By the middle of the game, they're accustomed to its controls and expectations, and operate more on muscle memory and heuristics. As a result, they tend to remember less. This changes near the finale. When finally the credits roll, players remember the closing stages of the game because... well, those were their most recent experiences with the game.
As a result, to wow players, you want to pack big ideas into the start and end of a game. Those are the periods in which it is most critical to impress players and to give them something to talk about - at least going on my experiences with and observations of platformers like Super Mario. The developers of Super Mario 64 understood this principle, and it reflects in Rainbow Ride and Tick Tock Clock. Rather than coast on established mechanics and challenges, the developers packed in flashy new mechanics like the carpets of Rainbow Ride and the variable-speed gears and pendulums of Tick Tock Clock, weaving them into all of their missions. Rainbow Ride's magic carpets are Super Mario 64 striving to entrench a final positive impression in the minds of players, and in order to make the most of them, it needed "Cruiser Crossing the Rainbow" to introduce and develop them thoroughly. As a result, even long before Hayashida articulated them, our four steps cropped up. They sure work wonders for acquainting players with a novel mechanic!
With four flat spinning platforms, three magic carpet rides, two Flamethrowers, and one Rainbow Cruiser, this has been Four Steps for a 3D World!
Pitohui's Pokémon Academy
Written by: Hooded Pitohui (talk)
Guest contributions by: Boo1268
Well now, have you all studied up on Galarian Corsola as we discussed at the closure of our previous session? Excellent! Then you are well prepared for a short oral examination conducted by local paranormal expert and historian, Boo1268!
…do tell, did I successfully scare you? A trick befitting a Ghost-type, wouldn't you say? Relax yourselves. There is no examination. Monsieur Boo is here only to provide some additional insight into Galarian Corsola. Monsieur, if you will please:
Thank you, Monsieur. As our guest alluded to, Galarian Corsola is less active than its evolved form. While Cursola wobbles and wanders, freed from its shell, Galarian Corsola sit in seabeds, often getting mistaken for stones. This reflects in the stat distribution of the two Pokémon. Whereas Cursola is a powerful special attacker backed by high special defense but hindered by a paltry physical defense, Galarian Corsola lacks offensive power but has rock-solid and equal defensive stats. Today, we will compare an evolved Pokémon directly to its pre-evolution, and in doing so, examine whether or not evolution always improves a Pokémon's fortunes.
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The following information applies specifically to Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield V 1.3.0+, the latest games in which Galarian Corsola is available. | 
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The standard glossary follows below, should you need to consult it. If you are familiar with our terminology, please do skip it and we will get on with the lecture promptly!
Base Stats: Base stats are the values associated with a particular Pokémon species, and are the same across every individual Pokémon of a given species. You have no influence on them. You can think of them as traits tied to a species. A chimp isn't ever going to be able to get as good as digging as a mole will be, and, likewise, an Abra is never going to have the defensive prowess a Shuckle has.
Individual Values (IVs): Individual values, as their name implies, are associated with individual Pokémon. They range from 0 to 31 in each stat, with 31 being considered a "perfect" IV and higher numbers corresponding to different stats. Magikarp A and Magikarp B will have the same base stats, but they may very well have different IVs. To stick with the animal analogy, one mole may be born with larger claws than another mole, and that first mole is probably going to have an easier time digging through dirt than the latter. Individual values are set in stone, strictly speaking, but you can use Hyper Training (from Generation VII onwards) to functionally get a perfect IV in a stat.
Effort Values (EVs): Effort values are the one thing you can easily change. A Pokémon can earn, primarily through battling, but also through means like the use of certain items or mechanics like Super Training, up to a total of 510 effort values, with up to 252 in any given stat. To finish off the animal analogy, no matter what kind of claws a mole is born with, moles who have more experience digging are probably going to be better at digging than moles which have never dug.
Nature: A Pokémon's nature is, more or a less, a stat modifier with a name meant to make it sound like a Pokémon has some personality. Natures will raise one stat by ten percent and lower another stat by ten percent. Some natures raise and lower the same stat, canceling out the effect and leaving stats unchanged. Natures can be functionally changed with the use of special mint items from Generation VIII onwards.
STAB: STAB stands for Same-Type Attack Bonus, and refers to the boosted power of moves that match the type of the move's user. To illustrate this, consider the case of a Lombre, a dual-type Pokémon which is both a Water-type and a Grass-type. Any Water-type moves Lombre uses will have their power boosted by 1.5x, and any Grass-type moves Lombre uses will, likewise, have their power boosted by 1.5x. (There are circumstances where this does not apply, and, while the 1.5x multiplier is typical, some games use other multipliers.)
Bulbagarden Archives: Not a term to be defined, but the source of many of the images used in this section. I thank those who maintain it as a resource.
For more information on the terms defined here and how you can raise Pokémon, feel free to consult this guide. It is written with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in mind, but its broad principles are applicable through many of the main series games beginning with Ruby and Sapphire.
Our introduction today was longer than is typical, so let us touch on stats only briefly. Galarian Corsola, while having 100 points fewer across all of its base stats compared to Cursola, concentrates what it does have in its defenses. As a result, it has great defense and special defense. Its HP is low, but that issue can be mitigated with EV investment. Its offensive stats are so low to be hardly worth using, but its special attack is slightly higher than its attack, so we'll treat attack as a dump stat that can safely be lowered.
Taken altogether, this gives Galarian Corsola the opportunity to fill a different niche than its evolved form. While with Cursola our main concern was finding a way to ensure it could leverage its high special attack to do as much damage as possible, leading to us using Trick Room and damaging HP-restoring moves like Giga Drain, with Galarian Corsola, we can safely adopt a more defensive posture. There is no longer the risk of a physical attacker busting through our Pokémon of interest like a parade vehicle through a banner. Rather than focusing on dealing damage quickly, we can equip Galarian Corsola with the tools it needs to remain on the field for many turns, frustrating its opponents all the while. If you ask me, this defensive and tricky niche feels better suited to a Ghost Pokémon.
At this point, you may wonder, if Galarian Corsola is objectively weaker than its evolution. After all, even with its stats distributed differently and a niche that synergizes better with its typing and movepool, it still has a lower base stat total. Even this, however, is a weakness we can minimize. We don't often discuss held items in these sessions, because they're typically best chosen with the context of a full team in mind. However, with an unevolved Pokémon, especially a defensively-oriented unevolved Pokémon, we must discuss the Eviolite. The Eviolite is a held item that increases the defense and special defense of an unevolved Pokémon by 50%. This isn't entirely accurate because the Eviolite affects final stats, not base stats, but if you'll permit the simplification, a 50% boost to Galarian Corsola's base defenses is fifty additional points in each. By this reckoning, with the Eviolite, Galarian Corsola is just as strong as Cursola! Add to this Galarian Corsola's more favorable stat distribution, and you might even say Galarian Corsola outdoes its evolution. Just beware Eviolite loss through Knock Off!
Given that HP is Galarian Corsola's weakest defensive stat, we'll give it the full 252 EVs it can have. We'll invest another 252 EVs into special defense, with the remaining 6 going to defense. We favor special defense here because Galarian Corsola has a few options in its moveset for reducing the opponent's physical attack.
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Name: | Galarian Corsola | Base HP: | 60 | |
| Category: | Coral | Base Attack: | 55 | ||
| Type: | Ghost | Base Defense: | 100 | ||
| Abilities: | Weak Armor | Base Special Attack: | 65 | ||
| Cursed Body | Base Special Defense: | 100 | |||
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Base Speed: | ||||