Archive: 9 posts

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Planning Decent Levels or Series Too often, Levels with Little to no story at all are published, or even copy published onto LBP,My goal, is to provide a guide on how to create levels that avoid this no story level affect on LBP. First off, When making a level, be sure you have an idea or plan on what exactly your level will be about.(what the theme will be, the color pallet, and overall how the level flows together)Before Entering Create mode, Try Getting out a blank sheet of paper and either sketching out a scene that has a certain theme you can follow, or describe your level in words,(EXAMPLE: Level starts in a snowy scene,snow falling from the sky, wooden houses all around)And once you have an idea on what exactly your level is going to be about, then try your hand at making a few props for the level, like a simple obstacle that can be re-used throughout the level (like a barrel or a tree) So you can see what exactly you CAN and CAN'T make.Once you have the basic idea and you feel you are ready to begin,Start a small section, try using the theme you created, see if the theme is reasonable for your particular skill set,(Like if you are good at creating cars, you might not want to make a desert, but maybe a city or town theme)If you find your theme too difficult, you can either start a new theme or ask for help from a friend that might be better at that specific style.But never continue a level theme that you aren't comfortable with. Once you have decided your theme start making the obstacles or props for your level, don't go straight into making the ground or building the level takes place in.After you have made a few props or obstacles THEN make a basic template that is not too large, place it throughout the level and edit later to make it differ from the basic template, this avoids having to start from scratch, instead you just add to the template.place the props and obstacles in different spots around in your level, if your level seems empty, add more obstacles or puzzles and props.Be sure to stick to the theme you chose when making extras, (don't but a barrel in a desert)And be sure to have a little challenge in your level, don't just make a pretty looking town, make obstacles and puzzles to add playability to your level.Add the finishing touches to your level, by adding and making your level flow properly, like adding speech bubbles or pictures to help the player understand the goal of the level, Be sure to have a few friends test your level before you publish your level, and do not tell them what to do, because in the community, you won't be there as every player plays your level, And be sure to test the level yourself, to make sure you are happy with your level.After you feel happy with your level, make a sticker that draws attention to your level, but still follows your theme.Create a catchy name based on your theme,add a brief description of your level, publish,And watch your level grow! Tips: - Simplify! You will almost always end up with way too complex objects or cluttered up levels if at key points you don't decide to omit certain details, decoration and functionality; this may sound counterintuitive, if you think about the so many levels out there that feel empty, but the goal should be to strike the right balance of detail throughout the level (not just in one or two places) and to find the minimum complexity required for a player to deal with. Example: this obstacle has 3 buttons to operate; will it be easier to operate with two and be still/more fun? This NPC is very detailed looking; does it fit in with the rest of the level which is less detailed? Should the rest of the level be more detailed instead? This heavily decorated object is offscreen most of the time, flies by real quick or pops up only a few seconds; does it need to be that detailed? Does it outweigh the stress it puts on the thermo? Can I still work with it or does it get in the way of the logic I want to attach to it? What amount of detail is sufficient for an object to fulfill its purpose? - Do research! Egyptian themed level? Google for temples, hieroglyphs, pyramids, desert, oasis, etcetera. Collect pictures. Watch movies that touch this theme. Lookup levels by other creators for inspiration and ask yourself what it is you like and dislike about their approach. Experiment a bit with colors, sounds, lighting and materials before you go and make the real stuff. - Keep a list of ideas and keep expanding that list. Keep even the bad ideas; they will lead to better ideas. Pick some of your favorite ideas for your level and make a rough sketch of their layout, how they should work and how (if possible) they fit in with the rest of the level. At some point -- when you have a bunch of these sketches -- you will adjust some to better fit together or even abandon some because they no longer fit in the direction you now have chosen to go. Writing and sketching sounds boring when you have the PS3 switched on and the controller in your hands; that is why I sketch and write when I am not at my PS3. At the dinner table, at the office during breaks.. I take them with me on vacation. Sketches are also a very accessible way to show friends and relatives what you are up to and ask for their opinion and suggestions. One of my coworkers doesn't even know the game but he is very, very helpful when I am trying to cook up a puzzle. - Do a lot of testing! Do it yourself, but also ask your PSN friends to help. I sometimes try and catch random LBP players in an online level, then drag them off to my pod and subject them to my evil experiments just to see where in my level I need to tweak things. Also, fight the urge to publish your level when it is still unfinished, untested or full of bugs. You only get one chance at a first impression, so make it a good one. - Play other games! There is an almost endless supply of ideas on what makes an interesting game (not necessarily a platformer) from which you can borrow and sometimes blatantly steal. Both in the present and in the past. I get most of my ideas from old 8-bit games that I used to play as a kid; because graphics and sound were still so basic back then, a lot of effort was put into story and gameplay. A lot of these games are also an exercise in keeping things dead simple while being thoroughly challenging and engaging.

2010-12-18 05:30:00 Author: Unknown User

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Good tutorial for new creators. However alot of people use different styles to this. Luos_Desruc had a 'How to make a level in 3 weeks' thing which'd be worth a check-out. it's really the same stuff that you've said with more depth and detail. Then loads more.......

2010-12-19 20:52:00 Author: mutant_red_peas Posts: 516

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Suggestions I'd like to add: - Simplify! You will almost always end up with way too complex objects or cluttered up levels if at key points you don't decide to omit certain details, decoration and functionality; this may sound counterintuitive, if you think about the so many levels out there that feel empty, but the goal should be to strike the right balance of detail throughout the level (not just in one or two places) and to find the minimum complexity required for a player to deal with. Example: this obstacle has 3 buttons to operate; will it be easier to operate with two and be still/more fun? This NPC is very detailed looking; does it fit in with the rest of the level which is less detailed? Should the rest of the level be more detailed instead? This heavily decorated object is offscreen most of the time, flies by real quick or pops up only a few seconds; does it need to be that detailed? Does it outweigh the stress it puts on the thermo? Can I still work with it or does it get in the way of the logic I want to attach to it? What amount of detail is sufficient for an object to fulfill its purpose? - Do research! Egyptian themed level? Google for temples, hieroglyphs, pyramids, desert, oasis, etcetera. Collect pictures. Watch movies that touch this theme. Lookup levels by other creators for inspiration and ask yourself what it is you like and dislike about their approach. Experiment a bit with colors, sounds, lighting and materials before you go and make the real stuff. - Keep a list of ideas and keep expanding that list. Keep even the bad ideas; they will lead to better ideas. Pick some of your favorite ideas for your level and make a rough sketch of their layout, how they should work and how (if possible) they fit in with the rest of the level. At some point -- when you have a bunch of these sketches -- you will adjust some to better fit together or even abandon some because they no longer fit in the direction you now have chosen to go. Writing and sketching sounds boring when you have the PS3 switched on and the controller in your hands; that is why I sketch and write when I am not at my PS3. At the dinner table, at the office during breaks.. I take them with me on vacation. Sketches are also a very accessible way to show friends and relatives what you are up to and ask for their opinion and suggestions. One of my coworkers doesn't even know the game but he is very, very helpful when I am trying to cook up a puzzle. - Do a lot of testing! Do it yourself, but also ask your PSN friends to help. I sometimes try and catch random LBP players in an online level, then drag them off to my pod and subject them to my evil experiments just to see where in my level I need to tweak things. Also, fight the urge to publish your level when it is still unfinished, untested or full of bugs. You only get one chance at a first impression, so make it a good one. - Play other games! There is an almost endless supply of ideas on what makes an interesting game (not necessarily a platformer) from which you can borrow and sometimes blatantly steal. Both in the present and in the past. I get most of my ideas from old 8-bit games that I used to play as a kid; because graphics and sound were still so basic back then, a lot of effort was put into story and gameplay. A lot of these games are also an exercise in keeping things dead simple while being thoroughly challenging and engaging.

2010-12-20 12:52:00 Author: Antikris Posts: 1340

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Thanks, I hope ya don't mind I added it to the thread, If you want I can take it out though, But I was just trying to set a few bars before people publish something......

2010-12-20 19:19:00 Author: Unknown User

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thanks mutant_read_peas, but I was simply trying to set a bar for levels before people publish something with no effort at all, I was just Naming the basics of the process I USED TO use, I have a more complicated process that takes way more time, but i'm pretty sure no one wants the harder process, even IF it has a better product, but I might make a post about this more complicated strategy, I read Luos_Desruc's post, my process WAS NOT based of of his, and Thanks, -HBT

2010-12-20 19:23:00 Author: Unknown User

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Ah, okay. I understand. This is just to stop people from making story-less levels.

2010-12-23 21:46:00 Author: mutant_red_peas Posts: 516

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Exactly. But I might just make a full tutorial for even experienced creators too!

2011-02-18 22:34:00 Author: Unknown User

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This is a great guide, you never know when a good idea is going to pop in your head. I have been using a notebook and I think that if it were found by a non LBPer I would probably be institutionalized. I definitely will try to add more story to my levels as I am planning to continue my turtle level. Just wanted to add that you should base your level around your own interests, it helps make more unique levels and you won't get tired of working with it for hours and hours.

2011-04-07 01:50:00 Author: Ace29 Posts: 132

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Great guide you made there! Gives a lot of tips to the player and is really helpful. Great work!

2011-04-09 20:58:00 Author: yoda97yoda Posts: 121

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