Hi all.  I'm new to this board and have just started with hacking.  I could use some beginner's assistance.  If anyone is familiar with using SMB3 Workshop, I would like to get some help with this.

How do pointers work exactly?  I know what they do, just not how to manipulate them.  I'm trying to get the destinations to/from the "bonus" area that the pipes lead to, but I can't figure out how it works exactly.  Everytime I try to modify it, Mario pops up somewhere that he shouldn't.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

Thank you for the help.  I think I was looking at the categories wrong and mixing up the entrances and exits.

Unfortunately, there is a new problem.  I was experimenting with Level 1 and Level 1: Bonus Area.  I have encountered a strange issue.  Everytime I switch between the two places, it copies some of the items onto the other level.  The bonus area, which I kept mostly the same, copies itself near the start of the actual Level 1.  When I delete it off of Level 1, it deletes some of what is in the bonus area, plus it adds a bunch of "crash game" squares and a few random objects (like background hills and such).  I'll then add the items back in the bonus area, but then it copies itself again, plus adds"crash game" squares and a few other things.

I tried adding a bunch of objects and then reloading the level to see if nothing gets screwed up (and it doesn't when I reload), but this doesn't fix the problem.  The troubleshooter isn't helping me.  Can you or anyone else help?

Thanks for the tutorial, and all of your other help.  I've been working with it a lot lately to see if I can get some things fixed.  If you (or anyone else) don't mind me bothering you just a little more for help, I have a few questions...

1.  The problem with levels copying parts onto other levels happened again.  I just finished making Level 6 and tested it using my emulator, but Level 4 wouldn't work.  I went back to it in SMB3 Workshop to find that it was completely messed up.  I loaded Level 4 from another save location to fix it and Level 4 was back, but doing this caused Level 6 to be screwed up an insane amount.  It went back and forth from here, just like it did with the "Level 1 / Level 1 Bonus Area" problem I had.  Any ideas?

2.  I'm still having trouble getting the Dungeon Spike Room to even show up in the editor, let alone work in the game.  I must be screwing up somewhere with the hex stuff.  Is the translhextion a different program or something (I didn't see it next to the other utilities)?  Also, I tried to get rid of the door to the spike dungeon room and have the player go straight to Boom Boom, but the level crashed.  Am I not allowed to do that?

3.  Anytime I create something using Save M3L, I can no longer get to the Level/Offset Selector window.  What exactly is the M3L thing, and how can I get to the Level/Offset Selector when there's a M3L file?

4.  Just when I thought I had pointers figured out, they didn't work.  The graphics in Level 1 Bonus Area are screwed up (items are darker than normal, but everything "works") and I can't get back to the original levelthrough the exit pipe.  In other words, I can get to the bonus area just fine from Level 1 and Mario lands in the proper place in the bonus area, but I can't get back.

::sigh::
Maybe I should just give up.  I guess I'll work with it a little more.  Thank you for helping me, insectduel.  I want to learn this stuff so bad, but I just keep running into so many problems.