Archive: 10 posts

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Hello there sackfolk, I want to start of this thread saying that I tried my best to search for something similar and couldn't find anything that fulfilled me enough to enlighten my mind. Also, please note that I am very new to this whole great LBP phenomenon and also my native language isn't english So here goes nothing I have recentely published my first level, I wanted it to be visually appealing. I ended up with a formula which consisted of 5 materials which I used throughout the whole extension of the level. The whole thing looked very nice to my eyes (very consistent), kind of cool actually, people who played my level agreed, but there was this "but". Here is where it began, people told me that I needed to create a consistent visual style or theme for the level. This got me completely dumbstruck since I thought I had done that by only resorting to 5 materials in the first place. So I moved on (thinking: these people be crazy ), and started working on my second level, I made some obstacles, some this and that, all in cardboard (for simplicity purposes) and when I got down to selecting which materials to use, I was uncable (and still am) of creating a nice visual look (theme?) and have been for the past day struggling with different materials to no avail. I wanted this one to look more natural ( I tried using the corner editor tool and everything), but nothing seemed to come out right Guys, how do you make a visually nice level? And create a good theme? (I'm still not sure what this "theme" thing is) Thank you for reading yet again another wall of text Keep on creatin'! PS: If you guys need it, I can put a picture of my level here so that you can know what I'm talking about, I'm not sure it's necessary and I don't want to come across as a lame advertiser! Thanks again!

2011-08-09 16:41:00 Author: Unknown User

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(I'm still not sure what this "theme" thing is) A theme is keeping everything in related to the level. Ex. A cave level might have some falling boulders. A factory might have some robots. If your having trouble staying with a theme you could built every part separately and pick out the parts that fit the best.

2011-08-09 21:49:00 Author: Zero10100 Posts: 385

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Hey there Zero, Thank you for your reply. That sounded fairly simple at first, but when I tried doing it, I couldn't figure out how to make it look like I wanted it to. I think I'm doomed and will be stuck forever creating levels filled with unrelated stuff inside them... I just can't figure this sort of thing out! Thanks again. Keep on creatin'!

2011-08-10 14:28:00 Author: Unknown User

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You're not doing anything "wrong" of course, creative design is often against convention, and from the sound of it your approach with those five materials is really nice. Don't let the little caveats in people's feedback get you down! And if you're unhappy with a look the second time around due to following the advice of others when you were satisfied the first time, perhaps there's no flaw in the design, but in the feedback! After all you're getting something closer to "audience feedback" professionalism, not experienced critical review. People can have a sense of a thing but not know how to phrase it. For example, a challenging level will be repeatedly called "too hard" by players who lack the articulation or patience to really explain what that means, and that's fair, they mean well and want to be constructive, but if it causes you to massively reduce the difficulty (?) of a level, sapping the fun and art design out of it in the process, those same players still won't be happy when they come back to test it again... and they themselves probably won't have taken into account that they could have played the exact same level twice with no changes and it would be easier by nature, because it's their second time around. Using nothing but first-time testers creates its own perpetual editing process, again like "audience feedback" for such as a movie being screened 6 months ahead of release. But now it's me rambling with a wall of text. Short version of the above: don't worry too much about the opinions of others, they're subjective and rarely precise, and perhaps not worth responding to if they ruin a process you were enjoying to start with. That said, I won't ask you to devalue the input of your friends! One other thing: Perhaps the trick may be to find the right title and description to adjust expectations. A "gallery" level, using just that word, implies no gameplay but lots of showing off with creations and objects. A "platformer" if you use that word will imply a minimal story but plenty of jumping and running and dying. Right now feedback says you lack a theme... but suppose you nudge them in a direction with the right words before they start playing? I'm off to find and play your level now. Keep creatin' indeed! And bottom line, if you're having fun creating, you're doing it right.

2011-08-11 00:59:00 Author: Unknown User

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Hello there arbiekko, All I have to say to you, fine gentleman is: THANK YOU! Your review on my level was great, I greatly appreciate it! And thank you for taking your time to write down this big wall of text, it very greatly motivated me You showed me that if I like it, and how it looks, that's what matters! I was taking the feedback into account too seriously (but even so I sticked to my guns and changed nothing ) now that I think of it. Thank you very much once again Keep on creatin'!

2011-08-11 03:25:00 Author: Unknown User

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I generally make minigame levels, so this doesn't really affect me much. Even though most of my levels never see publishing, I think I may have a few tips on choosing a theme. I am terrible with themes too. One thing I find that really helps is to select a predominant style. This could be retro, art deco, steampunk, gothic...whatever. Just think of your level and decide what you think fits. Maybe you want to do a level with flying cars and an art deco/retro feel that is reminiscent of The Jetsons, or a puzzle driven platformer with a steampunk feel. Now I didn't even tell you anything about the level, but you can already picture it in your head and have an idea how it may look. Making choices like these early will really help inform your choice of color, scale, lighting, and how to implement challenges. It will also help you stay consistent throughout. Don't be afraid to take notes as you work. On my current level, I have four pages of notes front and back on graph paper. I have doodles, spots where I jotted down the tags used, wiring layouts, flow charts, and just tons of goals and ideas. This is for a level where you only ever see one spot because it is based on a flash game you would find on the internet. Notes can be invaluable....take loads of them. Most of the notes you take will change as you go, and by the end half of them won't even be applicable anymore, but they help keep you going in the right direction. Mostly though, just create and revise. Sometimes, instead of asking "what else can I add to make this better?", the better question is "What do I have here that is taking away from what I want to achieve, and do I need it?"

2011-08-11 07:23:00 Author: tdarb Posts: 689

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I played your level before as I was intrigued to see what the problem was. Looking through the reviews I think I only spotted two reviews mentioning the theme? Anyway, I kind of understand where they're coming from so I thought I'd try and shed some light on the comments. A theme is pretty much a blueprint for the level in its entirety. So that doesn't just include the visual style, it also means everything else like the mechanics and build style for example. I think what you've done by sticking to 5 materials is a good idea for visual consistency so that's not the problem. What I did notice is that you use virtually everything in the tool kit. =P The grabinators, the grapple hook, creatinator, bounce pads etc. And it's clearly split into sections. The start was solid, I really liked the rotating platform pieces and they were very well thought out, but after the initial portion they never appear again. So while the visuals are consistant, the level content wasn't, it was a bit of everything if you see what I mean. If you had rotating platform sections dotted throughout the level rather than only at the start, it helps to make a seemless experience. Is this a bad thing? No, like I say I only found two reviews out of thirty~ish that commented on the theme. In the end I wouldn't get too worried about what selected reviews say, you've had a fair few plays on your level being that it's your first and the feedback is most definitely positive. I just wanted to hopefully shed some light on why the comments may have arisen as you seemed a little concerned. In the end, I enjoyed your level, a lot of other people did too - and as long as you enjoyed making it then that's all that really matters.

2011-08-11 17:07:00 Author: Xaif Posts: 365

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Hello there, Yeah, I tried to make a level which was different every step of the way so that you would never see the same thing over and over again. On my second level though I thought it out a bit differentely, I chose a type of puzzle that I will be including in many parts of the level, but the puzzle itself will allways be different, so you will recognize the pattern and know what to do but you will be challanged all the time as well. I definitely had alot of fun creating my level since I like challenging stuff and I personally think it is challenging :&apos Thank you ^^ Keep on creatin'!

2011-08-12 02:53:00 Author: Unknown User

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Hey Jmanu. Your level does have a good theme to it. (It was a smart move only sticking to 5 materials, it also keeps the thermo down.) In my comments in the game i mentioned a lack of theme. But i guess I misspoke because you do have one. Sorry, didn't mean to seem like your level was bad or anything (far from it.) I was trying to ay that the environment in general could just be a little varied . https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=61515-Crooked-Canyons This level is a good example. Insomnia and Crooked Canyons both are great platforming levels. But Canyons also has that Mm story level vibe to it, the way that the ground is cut out at different angles and uses several layers. all in all though, ignore me, because your level is good, and I don't want you to think otherwise

2011-08-12 05:38:00 Author: Nightshade_games Posts: 76

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Yes, I see what you are saying, that is also an improvement on my second level, I'm trying to use all the layers for a better experience both visual and gameplay wise. I'm also trying to make things like windows and such. In INS I tried making things varied by using pipes and things like that, But I know myself that it's not enough. It was my first try though, we learn with our mistakes!

2011-08-13 17:42:00 Author: Unknown User

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