Zone 0 Concept

AYY THIS THREAD IS A HELL OF WORK IN PROGRESS AS OF 2:30 PM 2/20/15
I'M GONNA EDIT THIS OP AND SHIT AND ADD LIKE 6X AS MUCH TEXT SO BE READY FOR THAT

Alright, guys, I've got ideas for the very first part of the game.

First, I'll drop some plot on ya: Mario has to leave his house for some reason, but his typical outfit has been sullied for some reason. The man refuses to go outside unless he's fitted in his fresh-as-fuck crimson duds, so the player's got to grab 'em out of the hamper and try to wash 'em off in the sink. It's not long before tragedy strikes, however, and both the character and the player are quick to learn that the sink barely even drips at full blast, and you have to go underground to fix it! This interaction serves more than one introductory purpose;
1. It teaches players about basic ! interactions (when you grab the outfit from the bin) and shows off the fact that clicking on the right thing can bring up an inventory screen for even further interactions (when you hit up the sink and try to wash the outfit.)
2. It's a super-basic puzzle, and acts as a test of a player's ability to deduce basic shit based on things they read. ("Oh, this letter says I have to be well-dressed, but I'm in some shitty old rags...  better find me some proper gear. Oh look, a clothes bin! With conspicuously Mario-esque clothes sticking out of it!")
3. It sets up the next area, which will serve as a platforming and battle tutorial.
3.5 This doesn't really qualify as a full point, but I think it's worth mentioning that I just love the idea of the player having the item they need to progress from the get-go and then finding out to their despair that it doesn't work and they need to fix it. It's a sort of "that was easy..." bait-n-switch that I think is just right for a Mario RPG.

Reserved for MS Paint mock-ups of the level and placeholder sprites for Gumbo.

I think this is definitely on the right track. Here are some questions that should help you develop this more:

What is Mario doing when we first see him?

What compels him to need to go outside?

How does the game transition to the sewers? What differentiates these sewers from sewers in PM1/TTYD?

Should a partner join him? I think this would be a good opportunity to bring back an old partner, even temporarily, who will be able to explain the tutorials to Mario and assist him through the sewer. Alternatively, he can meet a character who has been camping out down there for a while.

What enemies do they encounter? Is there a boss?

What is blocking his pipes? This could be an object Mario has never seen before, prompting him to bring it to Toadsworth, Merlon, or whoever, who reveals it to be a lost object of much significance. This might also be the boss (Pirahna Plant sucking up all Mario's precious water).