
Nintendo's decision to release level design tools in Super Mario Maker over a slow, 9-day drip was apparently to guide newcomers up a learning curve. The reaction, however, has largely been negative, with many people seemingly more than eager to try pulling sick rodeo flips off that curve on Day One. It looks like Nintendo has listened, as a patch to the game now unlocks the tools in a matter of hours rather than day-by-day.
Reviewers who've had access to early retail copies of the game report that a downloadable Version 1.01 patch changes the criteria for having new parts delivered to your level design shop. Play time itself will now unlock new tools instead of the original "check-in" style that was previously employed. So the more you put time into the game, the quicker the options will roll in.
The exact time and elements that unlock the next tool set aren't exactly known, however. Some have reported getting new stuff in as little as 15 minutes, while others report a couple hours. The details will likely be figured out soon.
While getting everything in a much shorter amount of time may be seen as a reason for rejoicing, we still implore that you take the time to truly know the tools of Super Mario Maker. Contemplate the lowly block, for example. Square. Easily shattered. Yet hidden within its fragile core lies the mysteries of riches un--you're already trying to make Piranha Plants spring out of Clown Cars, aren't you. Sigh. We tried.
[source arstechnica.com]
Comments 68
I like this approach much better.
Music to my eyeballs
Much cooler! Now it's actually unlocking content and rewarding you for playing! Not just turning on the game every day or changing the clock.
Good to hear Nintendo listened.
OMG 4 and a half hours till 1 am (when I can download it in my time zone) but then I have to stop playing so I can pick up a physical copy for a present and hopefully a couple of the retro amiibo!
I am so surprised that they did this.
Yes! I was not looking forward to a 9 day wait (or editing clock) so this is the best thing they could have done. Still makes you practice too which is great.
Great decision, keep it up Big N.
@Yorumi Looks like they (Nintendo) finally listened for once.
Power to the people!
& hilarious ending to your article @TimLatshaw, well done!
great most of my level ideas required all tools
I wasn't upset about the way the unlock system worked before but I do think that this is the better choice. Also, it's nice to see Nintendo listening to their fans.
Hopefully they roll out with new content like Splatoon did. I liked that approach.
Great decision. Letting players play at their own pace is much better than arbitrary time limits. I will start with a simple World 1-1 style level, then go crazy afterwards with the designs.
Now I don't have to change the clock!
Eh, I wasn't bothered with the original method, but this method is better without a doubt. Besides, if I can wait five days to unlock all premade microgames in Wario Ware D.I.Y., then I can wait 9 days to unlock all tools in Super Mario Maker.
That last bit of the article got me good, lol!
Great! Nintendo does sometimes listen to us occasionally! Although why didn't they just use this approach in the first place?
Sweet. Now give us Chargin Chucks, Flame Chomps, Slopes, more environmental lvl themes, etc. and everyone will be happy.
@Captain_Gonru Yes. Game Explain confirmed it some weeks ago.
@Captain_Gonru It initially worked for me, but the levels I uploaded to the server didn't show up in the "up and coming" (recently uploaded) section, so there's a very good chance that Nintendo have some on-server check to prevent the levels of time travellers from gaining prominence.
Of course, post-patch, they've since shown up for people, so perhaps whatever measures they had in place have been lifted, too.
While I wouldn't mind the slow drip of getting new tools, I thought the 9 day thing was a bit too steep. Great idea to remove this.
I had already set my wiiu clock back earlier today in anticipation of getting the game.
Oh, thank God! Now I won't have to keep exiting out of the game and resetting my clock!
I'm going to take credit for this.
My long, post detailing why it was wrong, and thoroughly idiotic for them to do the 9-day unlock. I'm going to say that they've not only looked at the general perception which was largely negative and rightfully so, as well as my very long, attention directing post that gave, by far, the best explanation as to why it was wrong, presented indisputably, and say that they heard my voice as well as others. So i'm going to happily take part of the credit as to why they did this.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease. And everyone can thank me, and everyone else who stood their ground and complained as to why Nintendo saw common sense.
You're all very, very welcome.
@night
Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back.
Heh, didn't think it would be rolled out at this expedited manner.
@night
Awesome! There goes pretty much my only issue with the game thus far! 4:00 tomorrow can't come soon enough!
Hopefully, the WAY you play the game is what influences the time differences.
Rewarding someone for jumping straight into crazy, over the top levels without truly getting even the slightest taste for good design is idiotic.
The system was set up to ensure that better levels would come out of the community and this step is guaranteeing that heaps of terrible designs will emerge.
Then again, I never expected too much from a community who turned Zelda and Smash into user bashing, friend exchange forms and general b****ing.
People have an app so they can Twitter on their garbage phones at school, I'm shocked Nintendo ever though making those kinds of people (Nintendo fans) wait would ever have worked out.
Call them Dr. Kevorkian, 'cause there's nothing but dead patience.
Can't wait to buy this Saturday, the hype is REAL!
@SahashraLA The fluctuation in times from player to player probably has another metric at work; it may in fact be tied to the amount of Plays and Stars a user's levels get - if their levels using the limited toolset are popular, give them more tools quicker.
Of course, with Nintendo themselves not disclosing and nobody really collating enough data to determine such things, that's just baseless conjecture.
Let the slew of crappy levels commence. I fully supported the decision to stagger the release of elements so people could learn the game and the tools before moving onto the new ones. I guess this is good for the impatient people but for me, I like to take time with a level creator understanding what it does and doesn't do.
Good adjustment, being able to customize/test more early on is always a nice thing
@BinaryFragger very true, but of course the other side of that coin is that it's equally important to voice legit concerns and not bellyache about everything. Though naturally there's no way to quell either side of both extremes.
@Yorumi @Aromaiden We got some grade A douchebags right here. Holy crap, the arrogance! I absolutely can't stand that disgusting attitude. "Nintendo is FINALLY listening to fans! They have a brain!" rolls eyes They've been listening all the time you tools. They're not stupid or blind to what goes on. Doesn't mean they're going to listen all the time, but they are aware of what people say and the reactions that come from it.
So shut your pie holes. You're dripping arrogance all over the place.
I'm not sure we can say Nintendo listened to the fans etc. The game wasn't out at the time of the patch - they've listened to the review media.
The end of this article made me physically laugh, that's impressive! Great job!
meh I don't mind waiting the full 9 day and i might just reject the update
but 9 days is a bit much, I would of done 6 or 7 tbh maybe as low as 5...
Yeah, it surprised me yesterday. After around an hour of playing around with the stage creator I got a message saying something about delivery being earlier than expected. Pretty neat!
I'm still going to take it slow. The backbone of any good stage is not in elaborate asset placement but in the basics.
Very welcome news indeed. I wonder if the Metacritic score would've been a little if this patch was implemented before the reviews were done!!!
People should have more patience.
Much better, it shouldn't take that many days to become familiar with all the elements to play with.
lol at the end bit.
Yup, the initial idea was a bit...weird.
I get the idea to slowly but surely expand the editor, but a day-by-day system turn people off rather than on.
The unlock by playtime is a much much nicer idea. That way, you can ensure that complete newcomers also get a feel for the games mechanics before they start designing stages.
and where can I dowload the patch? I mean, there is no message. o.O
I'm worried that Nintendo may start this patching process as means of not being able to finish the development of a game. I understand some issues that are to be faced, but lately, this has been happening frequently......
Too late, while I had already downloaded the patch right away I didn't know this and still did the clock thing. XD
I was one actually not planing on doing it and thought "Nintendo knows what they are doing here" but the way they are rolling out the tools makes no sense. For event the simplest course ideas I had I needed at least the second and third day for some the last day!
@DiscoGentleman I'll remember, I'm in shock. I also think this gives me a nice argument to give my son his birthday present today even though his birthday isn't until next Thursday, I'll tell him I patched in an update to the calendar.
This is a better way to do it.
This doesn't work at all though.
Yeah, I got it today and after fooling with it a bit, the message said the next tool shipment would be tomorrow.
That said, I did manage to make a basic level. Sure could use a starman though...
I know this is probably false, but would the speedier unlock system be included on the retail disc without the update? I don't have internet in my house currently, so I would like to know if It will be on disc or I'll have wait the old fashioned way or alt err the clock, or lug my Wii U to McDonald's. I know I sound stupid right now but please respond.
@Syrek Wow... normally I enjoy discussing with others (and the occasional bit of teasing), but knowing how you are and after reading your "comment", I'd rather not even engage a conversation with you.
Good riddance, 9-day unlock! What a ridiculous restriction.
Nintendo must have heard a rumor we're no longer in the dark ages of gaming and that 5-year olds are building masterpieces in games like Minecraft and Sim City.
Ah great! When I played it last night, I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't use features that I had seen in several videos (like Mario leaving a trace). It's frustrating when you know this game won't overburden you, especially if you already have watched so many videos and part of the workshop (even what they showed there wasn't entirely news to me).
I wished they would've shipped the game with the full set of tools instead of unlocking them. I don't get why this is necessary.
Just to compare: In Splatoon it made totally sense, because it was a completely new type of game. Even if you had mastered the controls and everything, you still needed the experience to get who every detail of that game works. So the drip-fed nature of the releases was okay.
But Mario Maker not only takes place in an already established/familiary domain, there are also hundreds of videos (from Nintendo's marketing, from game fares, from the Nintendo WC, from journalists with a preview version) explaining what's new about it. So it really was unneccesary to hold the tools back. I want them now!
I didn't know about the clock trick, maybe I'll use that to unlock everything RIGHT NOW!
@Captain_Gonru Easy, just start a Facebook petition page stating you'ld like all holiday's from one's job to be taken whenever you want. Title it "Opt-Out of Mandatory Holidays" then you can take off whatever day you'd like.
@Ryno - Saw a Wii Mini in Target yesterday. A joke is a joke but at some point Nintneod needs to let it go. The Wii U is BC, why are they still selling the Wii 3 years later? If people need to play Wii games so badly in 2015 let them shell out for a Wii U.
...So is the patch actually working for some people? It isn't for me. It seems to be reverting to the old way.
@Artwark I am not a fan of day one updates either but it is obvious in this case that the change happened after most of the discs had already been made. The choice was get rid of those discs and start producing new ones which would have cost a lot of money or a day one update. Personally, I don't see the need for this particular update. Nine days is nothing and if you wanted it sooner, you could simply change the Wii U clock.
I installed the update and it didn't work it stayed with coming the next day. I had to mess with the date to get more stuff. i seen forums people complain about it.
also yes i did try use all the items and it still didn't work.
I'm at 1.01, but I have only seen a message about a Saturday delivery. I've tried placing a ton of stuff, played a couple of 10-Mario challenges, and a couple of user levels. Nothing yet. I hope the faster delivery kicks in soon.
The faster method worked once, then never again. And the game says I AM 1.0.1. I guess I'll just do the date switching way.
@Captain_Gonru For about 2 years now every time I see a Wii Mini in Target I price check it expecting it to be on clearance for $48.98. I couldn't price check this one though b/c it was locked up behind the glass next to the Wii U . Who's going to try and steal a big $99 Wii Mini in 2015?
So they finally do something right and have not everything spoon fed to us and they back peddle and ruin it for everyone? Is there a choice that you can still do the unlocking the old way? This is so dumb.
I don't know if the patch made any difference or not as I just did the clock advancing method.
This was the best. I was able to unlock everything by this morning without even changing the time.
Nice move on their part. I see the ways they were trying to get enjoyable gameplay spread out over time instead of rushing through it all. The presentation is more than just a toolset, though, and it was a good combination of learning curve and accomplishment as they had it. But 9 days gets bothersome if you're really waiting for one of the last items.
I guess it's a little random, though. Since I have two versions (yep, I had pre-purchased it on disc but then I got tempted by the system bundle, so I got dueling Wii U's now). I spent about the same time with each, but one opened up the next batch and the other one hasn't yet. But I also have twice the upload limit once they fill out!
Well I've just played the game and I was surprised by how little you have to start with. I understand the learning curve thing, and I have no problem with putting hours in to unlock it. But boy am I glad I don't have to wait over a week to get some of the cooler stuff. I just want to get right down to creating tricky levels, and the basic tools don't let me do much at first.
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