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UPDATE: We’ve heard from several of you and we’re extending the deadline to Friday, July 7! Please have them in by then, we are recording our video on Saturday!
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We’re back for another custom board contest! Now that PartyPlanner64 has been released, Mario Party Legacy is holding a second contest where contestants create and submit their own Mario Party board designs. Each submission will be looked through and graded on a variety of different qualities and the winner will be given a $20 eShop card!
This time we’re going with a theme: Summer/Beach/Tropical! This could be anything from a beach shore to a sunny water park. The deadline for this contest is Monday, July 3, giving you roughly two weeks to work on your board.
Before we get into the details, including how to submit your board, here are some quick links to easily find what you’re looking for:
- PartyPlanner64 Editor
- Custom Boards Downloads Database
- Submit Your Custom Board (.json files only!)
- Custom Boards Feedback Forum
- Contest #1 Results
Guidelines
Depending on the game that you chose to base your board on, different guidelines will apply. However, there are certain rules that will apply no matter the game:
- Boards must be based on the Battle Royale of Mario Party 1, 2, or 3. You must pick one game.
- No white backgrounds. All objects must have a transparent background, no white. This is what you shouldn’t have.
- Do not grab a map from another game and slap on spaces. This is lazy, we want original designs!
- Spaces – 70 minimum, 140 maximum. At least 1 of each space.
- Be mindful of where you want your Star spaces.
- Include a detailed description of the board that explains how the board works and any potential features and events that you couldn’t include due to PP64’s limitations.
- PartyPlanner64 has an issue with space alignment. Make sure to submit a version where spaces are correctly placed in-game. Fix this issue by turning on your board in the game and seeing where the spaces have moved. Adjust the spaces in the editor accordingly and test again. Keep doing this until your spaces are in perfect shape!
- Test the game in PP64 and make sure it runs! Also include at least two in-game images!
Passing event guidelines:
- Boo
- 1 min, 2 max (Mario Party 1 & 2)
- 1 min, 1 max (Mario Party 3)
- Bowser
- 1 min, 1 max (Mario Party 1)
- Item Shops
- 1 min, 1 max (Mario Party 2)
- 1 min, 2 max (Mario Party 3)
- Bank
- 1 min, 2 max (Mario Party 2 & 3)
What will we be judging on
Once the deadline has passed and the boards have been submitted, SpiderStaryu and SuperZambezi will grade each board on a variety of different qualities. Each category is worth five points, adding up to a total of 50 points. Your board will be graded on this 50-point scale.
- Theme – The overall setting of the board. Does it fit with the theme of the contest?
- Gimmicks – Special features of the board. Happening spaces and other features are not yet available in PP64, so we’ll be judging your written description for the board. Include what these features would be! They should help make the board unique and original.
- Background – Behind the board, basically the atmosphere.
Path Layout – The layout and the basic board design. Arrows are crucial, so is being able to see the paths clearly. - Space Distribution – What kind of spaces are used and where. Make sure everything is fair and balanced!
- Passing Events – Whether it be the Item Shop in Mario Party 2 or Bowser in Mario Party 1, how and where events are placed.
- Originality – The overall board’s originality will be judged. Is this a borrowed idea done well or an original idea?
- Playability – Does your board function in PartyPlanner64? You can find what works here. Make sure all dimensions are correct!
- Guidelines – Must be followed as posted above, points deducted if broken.
- Overall Presentation – Board’s overall review based on all the factors above.
Tips on making your board
First time making a Mario Party board? Here are some helpful tips on some ways you can create an awesome board:
- Hand Drawn – Are you an artist? Perfect! Draw up your board, then use one of the following programs to place your spaces.
- Powerpoint – Good for making shapes and placing transparent images over each other.
- Photoshop/Paint.Net – Image editing program, good for creating images for your board. You can use it to form your board as well.
- SketchUp – Create your board using a modelling program. Import 3D models from other games or create them yourself.
As for board design, study up on the boards of Mario Party 1-3 and see how they created their paths and space layouts. We’ll be giving tips and suggestions when we review your board. We also have a great video guide by SpiderStaryu that you can watch below:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFcnl2kmjXY
Do you need assets for your boards? We’ve got a few that will work well if you’re building a Mario Party 3 board. This RAR file has things like spaces, arrows, and passing event images. There are also a few custom Mario Party 3 assets that SuperZambezi created available here.
Example
Ready to see an example of a submission? Here is SuperZambezi’s board for Mario Party 3, Mount Whittle. For those wondering, the board layout and the background objects were created in Sketchup, while the arrows, spaces, and other assets were placed in using Photoshop. If you like what you see, the board is already available for download here.
Full Board
Large Scene Background
Board Logo / Board Logo Text / Board Select Image
How and what to submit
Now that PartyPlanner64 has been released, all boards that are made for the contest need to be submitted to our Custom Board Database on the Forum. After you export the .json file from the PartyPlanner64 Editor, head over to the Forum to submit your board to the database. Make sure to include somewhere in the description that the board is for the contest!
Make sure you only submit a complete board, including all supplementary images with the correct dimensions. Check out PartyPlanner64’s guide on the images or our last contest to read up more on that.
Don’t be afraid to enter! We’ll take any and all submissions, as long as the meet the requirements. Plus, there is that cool $20 eShop prize for whoever takes first place. The deadline is Monday, July 3, giving you roughly two weeks to work on your board.
Good luck!
