Archive: 5 posts

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So today I was playing a lot of different levels. Ones that both inspired me but also put me in a more deeper stage of depression (just kidding kind of). Comphermc's level, Rubiks Tube, was really nice. It was far greater than a story level in terms of gameplay. Then I played this one level I forgot the name to but it was something like Culture gathering and it was for a contest here (Sorry about the name!). Anyways, In these levels there are INTENSE amounts of complex puzzles and intricate mechanics and stuff and it really makes me wonder how people come up with it. Would anyone skilled in that area mind sharing how they can just come up with something so complex? In my levels, I usually just stick to flat ground and rely on scenery but it would be nice to have all the "professional" things. I'm tired so if it sounds like I'm rambling, sorry...

2011-08-12 06:47:00 Author: kuppokid Posts: 79

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Everyone's techniques vary. I think you're referring to Rikiriki-Ita ("Ita because I'm Italian!"), who is amazing yeah. I can't say "how" any particular person's ideas are formed or achieved, but what is usually true is for anyone to get good (or better), they need to constantly learn new skills and change their style. Get outside the comfort zone. For you, based on your comment, this could start with building "off the ground". It will necessarily change your approach to level design, with new challenges, and in solving them or even just being confronted by them, you learn. If you like building freestyle without a plan, try incorporating weird logic you've never used. If you're better when you have goals, but can't seem to think of any, ask for someone else. "Make a working eggbeater." "Make a spikey room that rotates onto its side." It may seem impossible but right away you've got an image in your head of what it should be like. Get halfway there and throw it away if you like, but the process will yield new understanding, and that'll help down the line. CompherMC brings logic expertise to LBP from elsewhere in his life, all of which was learned by going outside his comfort zone and studying it and making it work for him. Same is true for everyone! This may seem like obvious, cliche advice ("practice, practice, practice") but I hope it's helpful.

2011-08-12 15:22:00 Author: Unknown User

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I usually draw my gameplay ideas from a theme. For instance, I really liked the puzzles in the Shadow of the Beast series, especially how physical they were, so I planned to do a level based on physical principles. I drew up a list of interesting physics laws (forces applied to a lever, liquids in communicating vessels, etc) and tried to imagine how they could be used to make a puzzle. Wikipedia is a great help, but there are many other sources. Too bad I never got around to finishing it.

2011-08-12 15:35:00 Author: Rogar Posts: 2284

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I usually draw my gameplay ideas from a theme. For instance, I really liked the puzzles in the Shadow of the Beast series, especially how physical they were, so I planned to do a level based on physical principles. I drew up a list of interesting physics laws (forces applied to a lever, liquids in communicating vessels, etc) and tried to imagine how they could be used to make a puzzle. Wikipedia is a great help, but there are many other sources. Too bad I never got around to finishing it. Never thought about getting into research about things. But really good idea! I'm definitely going to start with some Wikipedia-ing... Also, thanks arbiekko, now I have the inspiration to go outside the box. Gonna go do some searching...

2011-08-12 16:01:00 Author: kuppokid Posts: 79

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If you notice, all the good platforming levels generally have something that flows right through all of them. A core mechanic that they repeat several times in conjunction with other mechanics. Ultimately, this is one of the the things that provides a user a feeling of a good level. Remember that checkpoints should act like dividers between each time you use this mechanic you settle on. (If you're making a level full of bounce pads, after a room of tricky jumps, you rest, then walk into an even harder one.) Look at the level in Eve's garden where you find Sackboy donning the trusty creatinator. The core theme here is using a water gun to hit switches. After several "Sections" of the repeated mechanic, it begins to be used in addition to other things to make it more varied. One of the most efficient ways to work is to create several key elements that can easily be copied and pasted into new environments and combined in different ways. Portal: -Portals -Switches -Switch holder (Ie Cube) -Turrets All these represent individual "objects" created by Valve. You begin with switches, move on to switches with cubes, then using portals with cubes, and lastly introducing turrets into the mix (There are of course other aspects but i decided to focus on the most iconic.) A turret on it's own has it's own functions and aspects, but it's mechanics change when used in conjunction with other objects. (Example, it can shoot you through portals.) Once people arrange their level assets they generally make several passes to ensure everything functions. During these phases, several layers of polish are generally added. Things like, un-even walkways, camera angles, score bubble locations, tweaking jumps, adjusting lighting, adding more mechanical effects, etc. Hope this helped!

2011-08-12 18:34:00 Author: Nightshade_games Posts: 76

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