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Topics - MaestroUGC

#1
Site News / Re: Whoopsie!
April 01, 2020, 08:07:37 PM
To Our Beloved Staff and Assorted Dumplings

You are receiving this letter due to having recently been terminated for alleged exposure to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). It has come to our attention that recently terminated employees have filed a civil lawsuit against NSM Industries and Friends Co. for "wrongful termination" and "theft of personal property". After minutes of mediation we have negotiated a settlement with the aforementioned party and have agreed to the following terms:

  • We will rehire all terminated employees at a 15% raise in salary. Given that we don't pay any of you I think it is more than generous.
  • We will relax our current punitive policies in regards to sanitation. We will keep our current cleanliness standards but will no longer launch suspected infected employees into the sun.
  • We will also establish a less intrusive system for our "work"-from-home initiative. Using your actual homes will be acceptable for those of you unable to commute to Ganymede.
  • Unfortunately we will be unable to return all of your personal property as we have repurposed it into a large statue depicting the scene from the Super Mario Bros. movie where Bob Hoskins loses the will to live.
  • You will also each be given a personalized bottle of hand sanitizer to reflect how important you all are to the company. There won't be any sanitizer actually in the bottles, however, as we used all of our supply as lubricant for all of our doors.
  • Lastly, as a token of apology, you will all receive a $10 gift certificate to Woolworths.
I sincerely hope we can all learn and grow from this experience as we move forward to provide our customers with the high quality products they've come to expect from us. Welcome back to the team.

From the desk of Maestro "I Can't Find My Taco" Wiggins, CCO of NSM Industries and Friends Co.

NOTICE: FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY. DO NOT SEND TO NON-EMPLOYEES.
#2
To Our Dear Fans and Followers

Recently we sent out a message regarding our updated policies due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However due to the increasing threat we have decided to enact additional measures to ensure not only the safety of all of you who purchase and use our products, but also to protect our staff making said products. Below is a reminder of our previously enacted policies:

NSM's Commitment to Safety
Here at NSM Industries and Friends Co. we strive to bring you the highest quality arrangements of your favorite video game tunes. However, we are aware of the growing threat of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and as such we will be making adjustments to our business model to help reduce risk of exposure to our employees and our loyal customers:

What We Are Doing:
  • We are retraining all of our personnel on proper hygiene techniques to minimize the spread of Colonelvirus (CLNID-19).
  • Our staff is being issued heavy-duty gloves which make daily tasks practically impossible to complete.
  • We will also cease all in-person interaction effective immediately. All personnel will continue operations via Morse code and smoke signals.
  • We have begun an intense regiment of deep cleaning our facilities, delivery trucks, delivery drivers, and delivery receivers. This will include high powered washing every hour followed by a detailed scrubbing of all surfaces and people.
  • We are also undergoing a complete disinfecting of every single sheet on our archive, as well as complete disinfecting of all of our arrangers.
  • In order to minimize risk of exposure to Carvanavirus (CARGO-19), we will be closing our retail establishments effective immediately and burning them down to collect the insurance money.
  • In the interest of safety we will start a new method of creating sheet music that will involve working in state-of-the-art clean rooms, arranging via speech to text, and holding intrusive conference calls with our full staff discussing what we are doing to help prevent the spread of Caboodlevirus (CABOX-19) every 15 minutes.
  • Should any of our employees begin to exhibit symptoms, or even mention the Carbonaravirus (CANOLI-19) we will launch them into the sun.
What You Can Do To Help:
  • Never go outside or interact with another human being in person ever again.
Hugs and Kisses,
The NSM Staff
[close]

Our Continued Efforts

In addition to the above measures, effective immediately are several new policies to our production process:
  • Since our staff have issued complaints of our deep cleaning methods, including physical pain and severe sunburns, we will no longer be using human arrangers to produce new sheet music.
  • Instead we have devised a foolproof method of arranging using goats, typewriters, hot wheels, and 2lbs of industrial grade fabric softener.
  • In order to discourage customers from attempting to buy wares at our ash piles, we will be doubling prices on all of our products and will continue arbitrarily raising prices in perpetuity.
  • We have also terminated all of our current staff that are deemed "inessential". This leaves only myself, our janitor Bubbles, a cat that wandered onto the premises roughly 4 months ago whom we have since named "Brenda the Doomslayer", and our steadfast President and CEO Latios, long may he reign.
  • We have given each of our terminated staff a generous severance package of two cans of salt-and-vinegar Pringles and a gift certificate to the Piggly Wiggly good for $15. Our accountant (who has also since been terminated due to exposure to the Carnationvirus (CNTID-19)) has assured us this is a very generous sum given the relative lack of dedication they gave the company.
  • We will cease shipments of all products for roughly 30 years, or until Mother 4 is released; whichever comes later.
  • Our current storage solution has been completely reorganized to comply with recommendations by the federal government. As such our sheet music library has been rearranged to comply with the "6-foot clearance" statute.
  • In addition to our current work-from-home mandate, we will begin a new "work"-from-home initiative which will include, among other things, 2 hour workdays and telecommuting from Ganymede, the largest moon of Jupiter.
  • Lastly is a pledge to rehire all of our terminated staff once this crisis has abated. We know that being gross flesh monsters isn't your fault, and the Carpacciovirus (CPRID-19) is just another example of how your frail meat sacks will never surpass the quality and longevity of my toilet paper fortress.
Ways you can continue to help:
  • Wash your hands and stay as far away from me as possible.
Your pal and confidant,
The NSM Staff
#3
Hey NSMers!

It's been... a bit too long since we hosted our first Super Mario Maker Showcase but worry not because we will resume with the second half of our first submissions next Saturday!

That's right tune in on Saturday November 9th at 7pm EST to our NSM Twitch channel as I continue to explore these great levels you all submitted.

Please understand that because of the influx of levels we received the first time that we will not be accepting new entries for this stream. We need to get through or original entries before we play newer levels. However we do enjoy playing through what you guys create so we will be hosting more of the events in the future so stay tuned and keep making levels!

Signed,
Maestro "I didn't order a giant trampoline!" Grenkowski
#4
Site News / NSM Mario Maker Showcase!
July 18, 2019, 05:03:43 PM
Greetings NSMers!

Maestro here to present a unique opportunity for all our community members and fans of NSM. We've been having a blast making levels in Super Mario Maker 2 for the Nintendo Switch and we want to see what kind of levels you all have made!

Here's the deal: Until August 15th you guys can submit your own custom levels for me to play, and on August 17th at 7pm EST I will host a stream of my attempts trying to play them! I will also be joined by E. Gadd offering some commentary while I likely fail repeatedly. In the meantime be sure to subscribe to the NSM Twitch channel! You might see some other things while you wait for the main event...

All of the details for this event will be on the NSM forums, including how to submit your levels. I look forward to the crazy stuff you guys can come up with!

Best Wishes,
Maestro and Friends
#5
It is I, Maestro, the Arbiter of Fun on NSM!

Super Mario Maker 2 has just been released and many of you have already begun making your own levels. Well now is your chance to come together as a community to showcase your creativity! Here's what we're going to do:

1. You all will spend 3-4 weeks making some sweet Mario Maker levels and submit them here.
2. Once we've settled on a date, I will gather them up and play them all during a Live Stream on Twitch.
3. You guys may have the chance to join us to talk about your levels as well as just have a good time!

Some exact details will change depending on our expected turnout, and an official Sign-Up will be posted in a few days. Comment below if you want to show me what you've made!
#6
Every so often I like to update the news banner with a reference to a song I like. However I realize not everyone will get the reference so whenever I update the News Feed I'll post the old ones here along with a link to the song in question. There isn't a fixed schedule for when I change the references, so keep an eye out for them, and if you get stumped feel free to ask me on the NSM Discord or just give it a google.



Increasing numbers of protests have one man lamenting that "war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate." He went on further to say amidst picket lines and picket signs "don't punish me with brutality, talk to me so you can see what's going on."
"What's Going On" from What's Going On (1971) by Marvin Gaye

Rumors have surfaced of a man who spends his time sitting on the San Francisco docks, staring out into the water. He's assumed to originally come from Georgia, he's a lonely figure just wasting time.
"(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay", a single by Otis Redding (1968)

Personals: You could have anything you want. Steam train, aero-plane, a big dipper, bumper cars. All you have to do is call me, I'll be anything you need, even a sledgehammer.
"Sledgehammer", from So by Peter Gabriel.

Local radio DJ has been picking up some good vibrations coming from a blossom world, commenting that it's giving him excitations. He's probably on drugs.
"Good Vibrations", a single by The Beach Boys.

A recent conspiracy has been uncovered of a sinister plot to turn children into cynical, practical, logical adults. One man reports being called a radical, liberal for not adhering to the program. Others even refer to such dissidents as "fanatical, criminals". It seems the goal is to turn people into respectable vegetables.
The Logical Song, from Breakfast in America by Supertramp

Local doomsayer warns of impending destruction to coincide with the arrival of the year 2000, and advises people to party as though it is the penultimate year. We didn't have the heart to tell him that was nearly twenty years ago.
1999, from 1999 by Prince.
#10
Off-Topic / The Offical NSM Skype Room!
March 06, 2016, 10:14:31 PM
Have you ever thought to yourself, "Man, it sure would be great if I could chit-chat with all of these cool people here on NSM, if only there was some sort of chat-room for just this purpose."

Well now there is! "Wow, really?" Yes, really, I just said that. "Can I be in it?" No! Except yes! Entry is simple, just PM one of the Moderators asking for entry and your Skype user name; or you can message one of us via Skype directly. However, there are some rules you'll be expected to follow while there, so study up:

NSM Skype Room Rules:
1) The NSM Skype Room is not an exclusive club, all you need to be able to join is ask one of the Forum Moderators to add you to the room. The Skype Room moderators are MaestroUGC, Dudeman, braixen1264, and Latios212. At no point can members add people without Moderator approval.

2) While spamming is harder to define in a live chat space, the Moderators will consider excessive posting of Images, private conversations, or needless repetition to be spam. Similarly, do not change the Skype Room Image or Skype Room Name.

3) No harassing other members  in the Skype Room. This room is also not an appropriate place to gossip or insult other members of the forum; it is a public space and what you say will be visible by everyone.

4) If you are in the NSM Skype Room you are expected to be active on the Forums. If your forum activity dwindles or ceases the Moderators will remove you from the room. Generally if your posting activity dips below an acceptable amount you may be removed. The same applies to the Skype Room itself.

5) Your NSM Username must either be visible or stated when asked for it by a Moderator. If you refuse to clarify who you are you will be removed.

6) There are a lot of people in the room, so try to avoid having 1-on-1 conversations if there are a lot of people currently talking. If you want to talk to someone just message them directly, nobody wants to talk around you.

7) The Moderators reserve the right to remove any members at any time if they deem their actions to be inflammatory, spam, or otherwise unacceptable.

8) If you are kicked from the Skype Room, complaining about it the Forums is not acceptable. Just wait out your ban and return hopefully the better for it.

9) Do not add people to the room against their will, if they want to be a part of the room all they have to do is ask. Likewise, do not re-add any members that have been banned from the Skype Room; the Moderators will reset their ban time and ban you as well.

10) The minimum ban time from the Skype Room is one week. The Moderators reserve the right to impose increased ban times or even permanent bans from the Skype Room if they deem it necessary. Any punishments rendered here will not carry over to the Forums proper.

11) This is not a mandatory club, and you're still free to chat with other members on your own. This room is just meant to be a safe place for all of us to comingle.

Skype Mods: MaestroUGC, Braixen1264, Dudeman, Latios212
#11
Gaming / Game Design
March 03, 2016, 10:03:13 PM
I like talking about game design; what works and what doesn't, and I figure some of you out there do too. So here's a place for us to discuss the game design of all kinds of games, both bad and good. Just a couple of ground rules to keep discussions in order:

1) This is not the place for idle praise or bashing of games. If you cannot explain your views in the context of design points, do not post here. I would like to keep these discussions organized and on track, and there's nothing more disruptive than empty posting.
2) You will be expected to behave if your favorite game gets negative criticism; you will also be expected to behave if your most hated game receives positive criticism. Check your emotional attachment at the door; just because you have strong nostalgic feelings to a game doesn't mean it's objectively good, or bad for that matter.
3) You might begin to realize that while personal opinion can drive what is seen as "good" or "bad", there are certain things that work or don't for the video game medium. Flawed or broken design isn't opinion, your tolerance level is.
4) Discussion will be loosely guided, so please try to stay on topic. While the occasional tangent is alright, if things get really off topic the thread will be nudged back on track. I'll try to keep track of these tangents though, so if a good subject for a conversation comes up, I'll file it here for future reference.
5) Just remember there's a line between Personal Opinion and Objective Design. Just because you like or dislike something it is not necessarily a reflection of is success or failure; however common consensus is often a large factor in what works for game design.

Design Topics:
 - Paper Mario: Sticker Star
#12
Archive / Forum Rules
February 04, 2016, 12:14:32 PM
Forum Rules
1) Do not defame other members in the form of slander, libel, or otherwise spreading falsehoods and rumors. Odds are we'll rule in favor of the victim. General negative comments regarding NSM as a whole will not be accepted. If you don't like us you're not forced to stay. If you complain loudly enough we will remove you whether you like it or not. Any posts that contain or can be summarized as 'X is [negative word]' can be considered an attack on that member. Bonus points against you if you decide to use profanities as well.

2) If you feel like you or any other member is being attacked or harassed use the REPORT BUTTON to bring it to the Moderators' attention.
The Moderators have really thick skins so sometimes it's hard for us to judge what people feel is an attack. Report it and we'll act accordingly.

The Report Button

[close]

3) Do not make any inappropriate posts; if you can get fired for it, you will get banned for it. Depending on the severity you may face increased ban times. Again, REPORT BUTTON. If you're being harassed by PM, please forward it to one of the Mods. You can also PM us directly if you feel a member is giving you a hard time outside of the forums, like the chat rooms, and we can keep an eye out for it.

4) Any blanket negative statements about a group of people will not be tolerated. We don't care if they're literally the spawn of Satan. Rise above, be the bigger person, don't discriminate against other groups of people.

5) If you have a specific problem with another member please PM one of the Mods. We will try to mediate the situation, but if either party(ies) get belligerent during the process then we will issue bans. Problem with a Staff Member? (Defined: Moderators, Updaters, Administrators, Backroom Wizards) Bring it up with another Staff Member, preferably of the same role.

6) Do not post private messages (PM) on the forums from other members without their permission. Do not post private chat logs without permission either.

7) No posting pornographic or disturbing images, or links to such content. Links to mild content may be posted with an NSFW tag but nothing obscene. Again, if you can get fired for it you be banned for it.

8) Do not post links to downloads for copyrighted files or torrents for such files. Encouraging piracy is also forbidden.

9) All referral links are to be relegated to your signature only, and they must clearly describe where they lead. Referral links to a Kickstarter, or any other crowd fundraising project, are fine in an appropriate subforum, but you must clearly describe what the Kickstarter is, who the Project Maker is, and your link cannot go directly to the donation page. Excessive reposting of the link in unrelated threads, or repeated requests for funds in not allowed and will be met with disciplinary action.

10) Any links to a Patreon, Go Fund Me, or other personal fundraising page are expressly forbidden on the forums. Any forum posts about them will be deleted and the original poster will be banned.

11) Do not create multiple accounts. Creation of a second account will result in a minimum week long ban, no exceptions. Creating multiple accounts will result in correspondingly long bans. It is considered a form of spam. Punishment for this will count independently of the strike system.

12) No plagiarism of any kind will be tolerated. This applies to both submissions and outside boards. If you claim someone else's work as your own, you will be punished accordingly and the plagiarized material will be removed.

13) Forum signatures have a height limit of 250 pixels. If the Moderators deem your signature inappropriate, you will be told to change it.

14) If you get banned, do not complain about it in the NSM Discord server or when you return to the forums. Just tough it out for the few days and hopefully you'll return the better for it.

15) If you feel you've been wrongly punished, you are free to make an appeal with the Moderators via Discord/PM. This does not apply to bans less than a week. If you feel another member has been wrongly punished, please do not interfere. While it's noble for you to stick up for your friends punishments are between the Moderators and the offending members.
 
16) Whatever happens outside of the Forums or NSM Discord server is outside of our realm of Moderation. If you guys can't play nice out there, the least you can do is not bring it in here.

17) No spamming, trolling, creating unnecessary threads or polls, or otherwise post disruptive or obnoxious things. See Forum Etiquette for further clarification of what we consider spam.

18) If the Moderators deem a member to be a blatant troll, fire starter, or otherwise toxic to the community, we reserve the right ban you for any length of time, regardless of prior infractions.

The Punishment system:

Any rule breaking will count as a strike against you, the strike system is as follows:
1st offense=1 day; 2nd=3 days; 3rd=1 week, 4th=2weeks, 5th=1 month; 6th=6 months/Permanent ban (depending on the circumstances); 7=Permanent Ban
New Members (read: registered less than 6 months ago) will receive a warning for their first offense, but after that they will receive bans as normal, starting with a day long ban.
#13
Archive / Forum Etiquette Guide
February 04, 2016, 12:11:22 PM
Forum Etiquette Guide:
These are not hard rules, but rather a guide for general behavior we expect from our members.

I - I'm New, What Do I Do?
 - If you're new to a community, everyone will assume you're new to the Internet. As such, post slowly and ease your way in. It's up to you to display restraint and good behavior to the rest of us; we won't assume you're mature and we won't believe you if you say so.

 - "I've been lurking for a few months, I think I know how you guys interact here." No you don't, lurk some more. Most communities have a very specific sense of humor, but it is not shared by every member; it's best to ease your way into a conversation.

 - Just because you're new doesn't mean the Moderators will be lenient on you, nor will anybody else for that matter. If you're here you're expected to know what you're doing. If you don't, consult the Forum Rules and this Guide you're currently reading.

 - "People seem to be ignoring me when I post, did I do something wrong?" In most cases, no. It just takes time for people to warm up to new members. As long as you aren't obnoxious or breaking any rules you'll be fine. Just give it some time.

 - Proofread your posts. PROOFREAD YOUR POSTS. PROOFREAD YOUR POSTS.

 - Sarcasm doesn't work on the internet; always assume whatever you post will be taken literally.

 - As a guideline when posting: Excessive use of emoticons, poor grammar/punctuation, and displays of poor context deduction skills are generally frowned upon. In most cases, they make you look like a child, and as a result you'll be treated like one.
#14
Movies & TV / Star Wars
December 18, 2015, 01:49:59 PM
Since Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens released on December 18th, 2015, the first of a new trilogy of films under the helm of Disney, I figure some people here would want a space to talk about our favorite space opera. I figured this would be a good place to talk about everything Star Wars; the movies, shows, books, games, everything else from the (now defunct) Expanded Universe. If it's got Star Wars at the top, it's right at home here since the films are the centerpiece of the whole franchise.

It is recommended that if you haven't seen the most recent film yet then just stay away from this thread. But as a precaution, a couple of ground rules considering spoilers:

1) Any and all discussion about the most recent film should be in spoiler tags and shall remain that way at least until the end of the theatrical run for said film. No Exceptions.
 - As a corollary to that, any significant details regarding major plot points and the endings of these movies should be discussed in spoiler tags until the video release.
2) Any speculation regarding details about the Eps. 7-9, as well as the upcoming Anthology series of films, should also be discussed in spoiler tags. Said details could be more significant than you realize, better safe than sorry.
3) Any discussion of any currently airing television shows, recently released games, etc. should use cautious spoiler tags.
4) Anything else dealing with the new Star Wars Canon (books, comics, various reference/supplemental material) should be ok, as long as it doesn't directly pertain to the most recent movies or shows.
5) As a rule of thumb: If you aren't sure it's a spoiler, put a spoiler tag anyway.

Just be mindful of others who might not have a chance to see the latest movie when posting.

May the Force be with you.
#15
Off-Topic / The Philosophy Topic
November 14, 2015, 05:00:44 PM
Given recent thoughts of a more existential nature, I figure we can use a more appropriate place to wax philosophical.

Here you can talk about varying world views, debate the idea or morality, ponder "the God question", and be the wannabe Nietzsche you think you are.


Just a quick foreword:

This is Philosophy, and as such this isn't going to be a place where someone will be "absolutely right". That's not what Philosophy is. Philosophy, at its more earnest, is the pursuit of Truth, not fact. This is not a battle ground, this is a forum designed to lead towards a higher truth of the natural world. If you want facts, study Science and History. Philosophy is where you ask "What is?", not "How?".

Can you have fun with this?
#16
Just some simple tenants that I think people would do better to know if you ever plan on engaging in any creative activity and sharing it with the world.

Life Lessons for Creative People

No. 1: Nobody is obligated to like anything you do ever.
No. 2: "Art" is a very broad term; as such whatever you choose to define as "art", another may choose to define as "garbage".
No. 3: Talent and skill are important for any art form, but just keep in mind there will always be someone better or more popular than you. Regardless of how skilled or talented they may or may not be.
No. 4: Some people will just outright not like you or your work, despite it being popular or respected. Suck it up and move on.
No. 5: You may have made something, but once you put it out into the public you have no more right to it than the people who judge it. As such don't get upset when people interpret and judge you work in ways you never intended, you are not the greatest authority of how you work should be interpreted.
No. 6: Time spent making something doesn't does not equal overall quality of the work. Just because it took you a lot of time and effort doesn't automatically make it "good".
No. 7: Making something in an "ironic" sense does not exclude your work from any judgment nor save it from unfavorable interpretations. Even works made in parody and jest have to stand against artistic judgment.
No. 8: If you make something and can willfully acknowledge its faults as a work of art, this does not give you freedom of criticism from people who would agree with your assessment. Nor does it protect you from any other faults people may find.
No. 9: Criticism is part of the creative process, and the negative criticism will be more vocal and precise in their assessment of your work than the positive praise. It's up to you to filter what is constructive out of the blind praise or criticism, ignoring all criticism does not help you grow as an artist.
No. 10: Art is a very selfish thing; you want to keep your creations to yourself but so does everyone else. By publicly saying "I made something" you cease being the sole owner of your creation and share it with the world. As such you have to be willing to let go of your creations and move on to something new. And at the end of the day the best reason you can have for making something is because you want to make it, and don't let anyone try to take that away from you.

On the flip side, there are a few tenants to keep in mind if you choose to judge and criticize any art out there.

Life Lessons for the Critical

No. 1: If you can't verbalize or otherwise express proper criticism towards a work, don't. Simply saying "I like it" or "It sucks" without being able to say why are empty words and will likely be ignored.
No. 2: Check your personal feeling about the creator at the door. Judge a piece of art by its own merits, not by the artist.
No. 3: Judgments made on an entire artist's catalogue/oeuvre are a more appropriate place to pass judgment on the artist himself, but only in regards to the quality of his work. Leave idle gossip to the magazines.
No. 4: Criticism is there to help both the artist grow and the people understand why art is highly regarded. Your job is as much to educate as it is to analyze.
No. 5: Words are powerful, so choose them carefully when making an assessment. That doesn't mean soften the blow of your criticism, nor does it mean assault the work or the creator because you feel vindictive. If you can't offer something meaningful in your criticism, then don't criticize.
#17
Off-Topic / MOVED: A poem for Trains!
July 24, 2015, 01:08:17 PM
#18
Nintendo / MOVED: E3 2015
June 15, 2015, 11:56:13 AM
#20
Music / Hexameron - An Invitation, an Adventure
March 01, 2015, 08:22:48 PM
In 1837, Franz Liszt, possibly the greatest pianist of all time, got together five other prominent pianist-composers of the day to collaborate on a set of variations of Vincenzo Bellini's "March of the Puritans" from I puritani. The idea had each composer write one variation of the theme, in whatever idiom and style they wanted, for piano, and Liszt would unite them all into single, cohesive piece. The superstar composer pianists he united?

Frederic Chopin
Carl Czerny
Henri Herz
Johann Peter Pixis
Sigismond Thalberg

The final product was called Hexameron.

Now, 2015, I, Zachary Loy, would like to extend an invitation to the arrangers here to collaborate on a set of variations for piano on a piece of video game music. For everyone who would like to contribute, we would each write a single variation for solo piano. What piece? That's the best part, we can figure it out!

Who's in?

1. Maestro
2. AwesomeYears
3. Nocturne
4. Latios
5. CLBGM
6. Clanker
7. Nebbles
8. Insig
9. Maelstrom
10. them
11. Bloop