Archive: 40 posts

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So I was wondering how long it takes for you guys to make your levels. And which kind do you make, that takes that long? (I would do a poll, but I have no idea how) So I see all these levels with descriptions like "Hope you guys like, it took me a year and a half to make" Or something along those lines. I start thinking; "A year and a half? Whoa!" and get my expectations all high and mighty. Then I enter the level, and see stuff that is really unpolished, quite ugly in some spots, and overall not showing that it took a long time... Is he not counting the breaks? Like, is he just starting it one day and doesn't work on it for another year? It's crazy. So then I decided I'd ask you guys. I've honestly never taken over a month to finish a level. Call me crazy (Don't actually call me crazy, call me Radio), but I have alot of free time and use it all for my levels if I'm not clearing my queue. I can't begin to fathom the idea of spending a year on a level that doesn't even max the thermometer. I mean, it may be because I spend my time working on Platformers, and don't do much logic to interfere with the simple gameplay. What do you guys think? I've got three questions, mainly because I'm just curious. -How long (Average) does it take for you to make a level? -What type of levels do you usually make that take thus(^) long? -What is the longest you've ever spent on a level? (Remember guys, this includes level links- I really mean level 'projects' in general)

2013-07-04 18:12:00 Author: Radio447 Posts: 159

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Some of my most polished levels that have gotten Spotlighted here have taken around 350 - 400 hours? Those were both full levels in LBP1. My pinball level that was also Spotlighted here and got an Mm pick took a bit over 2.5 months. It was in LBP2. Less scenery than in one of my typical full levels, but a ton more logic in that one space. I actually worked even more hours as I was doing 12 - 16 hour days trying to get it done. So that one may have taken more towards 550- 600 hours of creating and testing to get it to where I liked it.

2013-07-04 18:31:00 Author: jwwphotos Posts: 11383

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I am a very slow builder. I need some time to create a level Some examples (feel free to play them, if you like. I added the corresponding youtube links from my youtube account, so you may give it a watch ) aprox 40 - 50 hours: a Story-platformer -> The Evil Time Demon http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P1JvStLS-oU aprox 50 - 60 hours: a Story-platformer -> The Evil Time Demon Is Back http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=relmfu&v=DZ7qVOtLzsE aprox 100 - 120 hours: a Movie -> Wrong Parking On Planet Mars http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mN7nNcX6ai4

2013-07-04 20:54:00 Author: avundcv Posts: 2526

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It usually takes me months to make even simple levels, but that's probably because I procrastinate so much.

2013-07-04 21:55:00 Author: Kalawishis Posts: 928

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It depends. Some levels I can build in a day. Deep Ocean only took about a day. Lost Paradise took about a week. But then I've got like...Miserable Mire. Which took 2-3 months. Longest I ever spent on a level was Bio-Hazard Beach, mostly because of the boss. Looking back I could probably remake that boss in its entirety in less than 24 hours. It really just depends on my practice and level of motivation.

2013-07-04 22:37:00 Author: Kato Posts: 732

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Technically the level i'm working on now, I'd started when LBP2 came out, and before I went MIA. So can I pretend it's taken me 2+ years? Typically a level will take 1-2 months for me to complete it. But also add a week or two of sketching out ideas before I even seriously start creating.

2013-07-04 23:25:00 Author: Burnvictim42 Posts: 3322

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The AOG level I co-created with I6v6I took about 1 month of non-stop working. That includes testing a million times and putting the entire level in emitters. So 20min of gameplay, only 10% of the thermo being used and maybe 500 combined hours of create time. XD http://lbp.me/v/krc4st

2013-07-05 00:18:00 Author: dragonboy269 Posts: 172

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I know for sure I can't make a level under a month. Sometimes, I see levels that people have published from scratch in barely a week, and I wonder how much time they dedicate to it each day. I usually divide my time as is: - two weeks before "making": lots of research/drawings/finding ideas on the internet for the project I have in mind, so it matures well and I know what I want before actually open the popit. - one-two weeks of making the path, saving space where I know I will put stuff like monsters, traps, or logic, - two good weeks for logic when there is something I've never done before (nearly a month for my time-travel level), - one-two weeks of beta testing and "polishing": decoration and stuff - one week of procrastination before considering publication, then more betatesting when I know I have forgotten how to play my level. - one week of debugging after publication, then leaving it like this for good because at this point, there is nothing more I can do that won't break it. Which means approximately two months and a half for a level. I really envy some of the quick publishers, but I really can't stand publishing something that looks unfinished. http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=45120&d=1365298916 and this is only 10% of it.

2013-07-05 01:57:00 Author: Djibees Posts: 189

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[QUOTE=Djibees;1112977]I know for sure I can't make a level under a month. Sometimes, I see levels that people have published from scratch in barely a week, and I wonder how much time they dedicate to it each day. I usually divide my time as is: - two weeks before "making": lots of research/drawings/finding ideas on the internet for the project I have in mind, so it matures well and I know what I want before actually open the popit. - one-two weeks of making the path, saving space where I know I will put stuff like monsters, traps, or logic, - two good weeks for logic when there is something I've never done before (nearly a month for my time-travel level), - one-two weeks of beta testing and "polishing": decoration and stuff - one week of procrastination before considering publication, then more betatesting when I know I have forgotten how to play my level. - one week of debugging after publication, then leaving it like this for good because at this point, there is nothing more I can do that won't break it. Which means approximately two months and a half for a level. I really envy some of the quick publishers, but I really can't stand publishing something that looks unfinished. [QUOTE] Oh boy. Man I really do envy you. I cannot stand drawing out my ideas. I use grid in create mode, so my minor case of OCD completely fries my brain after I draw a crooked line. I don't even bother with logic unless it involves simple things (from a moving platform to a elephant picking his nose) and whenever I need to beta test, I just pay my sister a dollar or two to have her quickly run through it. Life is good, eh?

2013-07-05 02:57:00 Author: Radio447 Posts: 159

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http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=45120&d=1365298916 Holy crap. I didn't know something could be this pre-designed. And so neatly. It's like you're mocking me.

2013-07-05 04:30:00 Author: Kalawishis Posts: 928

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@Djibees, I always scribble down notes on papaer (not nice and tidy like yours, just horrible scrawl that I only I could read!). With my levels being logic heavy in general, I normally take things in stages. Start of getting the basics then add things as I go on. I'll normally write a list of things I need to fix or account for and cross them off when I do get round to fixing them. Sometimes I'll draw the odd rough sketch if I have an idea for a stage (talking about my last level here). I end up having pages upon pages of the stuff! Anyway, to answer the initial question, it takes me months to complete a level. Contrast took me over a year to complete, March 2012 - April 2013.

2013-07-05 09:20:00 Author: Ali_Star Posts: 4085

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After nearly 5 years I've still only really finished and released one level, and that was about 4 years ago. It's the same with anything creative I do, I am an obsessive perfectionist and would not release anything unless I am happy with every aspect of it. I spend so much time adding tiny little details that no one will ever even notice that I never get anything finished. I get distracted by other ideas very easily So the only proper level I ever made took several months, 6-9 probably. And even then I was constantly updating it for ages. I'll let you know if I ever finish another level.

2013-07-05 11:13:00 Author: ARD Posts: 4291

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My old levels took me no more than about 30 hours, they were very quick and very rushed. I have about four levels on my moon that are somewhat finished which I've spent well over 250 hours on each, though they'll probably require another 50 each before being done. I'm a little OCD with my levels now.. I like every inch to be tidy and polished

2013-07-05 11:33:00 Author: Unknown User

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I get distracted by other ideas very easily So the only proper level I ever made took several months, 6-9 probably. And even then I was constantly updating it for ages. I'll let you know if I ever finish another level. My problem is not that I get I get distracted by other ideas (though I do play other games, but I wouldn't call this a distraction per se), it's that I often get to certain points where I make very little progress for a while. Whether there's a particular logical hurdle I'm struggling to overcome, whether my next tasks are all incredibly tedious (something that happens often when a lot of logic is involved), or whether I just get a bit ******ed off at the constant meticulous testing that I have to do for every minor changed I've made. If I worked a bit faster and more effeciently, I probably could have made my last level in 6-9 months. My BattleSnakes level took a good 4-6 months I think, and my Sackleships level also took a few months. Checkers level wasn't too bad, I actually got most of that done during the PSN downtime when it was hacked. I also have another level which took a few months (including a complete re-do of the logic), called Spots & Squares. Published it for testing but kept getting bugs that I couldn't seem to identify, so never got around to releasing it.

2013-07-05 12:03:00 Author: Ali_Star Posts: 4085

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I've got alot of free time now that it's summer here- days of just sitting with my controller staring at the screen (not all day- I'm not that hooked) However, now I'm in a dilemma of a few ideas. I don't know which to pursue >.<

2013-07-05 13:08:00 Author: Radio447 Posts: 159

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I've got alot of free time now that it's summer here- days of just sitting with my controller staring at the screen (not all day- I'm not that hooked) However, now I'm in a dilemma of a few ideas. I don't know which to pursue >.< That's partially why I tend to do some pre level planning. It never gets as detailed as Djibees' notes, but I do typically sketch/write out a few pages before I get to work. It helps iron out some of the issues beforehand (like where the level goes, what each obstacle should be like), and it also helps show me the scope of the level. In my notebook, there are plans I have for a 6 level series (1 intro movie, 5 levels). There is certainly PLENTY of material for me to work with there, but I don't have the availability to put this together. (maybe in LBP3 ) In my notebook, I also have "plans" for a circus level. I liked the concept, but when it came down to jotting out obstacles, I didn't really come up with many I enjoyed. I may revisit it someday, but for now it's not something I'm pursuing. I also have plans for the level I'm working on now, and when I looked over the ideas I'd written out in my notebook, this was the one I was most excited for. It made choosing between ideas an easy choice

2013-07-05 17:03:00 Author: Burnvictim42 Posts: 3322

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I also have plans for the level I'm working on now, and when I looked over the ideas I'd written out in my notebook, this was the one I was most excited for. It made choosing between ideas an easy choice Well you've done more than enough feedback for me, so I'll be happy to return the favor when the day comes.

2013-07-05 17:37:00 Author: Radio447 Posts: 159

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I tend to work on my levels for a long time and often just give up on working on them when I get to the point that the fire has died or that I see no real progress. One of my levels have taken around 2 or 3 weeks to do and the rest, which are bad, about a day or two. I, however, tend to work on levels that deep in story and detail and those take a long, long time. My biggest project The Penrose Conspiracy started last summer and is still 25% complete! I can work fast, but I like to take it slow; write ideas, draw sections, write stories, etc. For those heavy projects it's an average of several months to possibly more than a year depending on how the story affects me!

2013-07-06 01:27:00 Author: Bryan_Zuckerberg Posts: 874

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-How long (Average) does it take for you to make a level? Hmmm it usually takes me 2 months of average work everyday... Anyway, I only do platformers (so far) so I guess you should consider that. -What type of levels do you usually make that take thus(^) long? Platformers -What is the longest you've ever spent on a level? Well.. I have a tendency to lose my projects The first time it happened to me it was in LBP PSP I lost a level in its totality, so therefore I had to recreate everything. Then (again LBP PSP... What a buggy game ) I lost anither level that never got published because I was too exahusted to recreate it... And then recently in my Vita Christmas Countdown I lost half of it yet again (((( But as I had a deadline for the publishing, I had to work like a madmen and restored everything in a couple of days! So... I would say the longest I've ever worked on a level (that actually got published) is about 3 and a half months.

2013-07-06 03:29:00 Author: yugnar Posts: 1478

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Wow I haven't been on lbpc in forever.. Or created much for that matter but anyways.. Most of my levels have taken 4+ months to make.. The most being 6 months, the least being a week. The thing that sucks is spending several months on a project that you don't even finish. I spent about a year working on a project in lbp2 and never published it.. Even rebuilt it from scratch in lbpv in a few weeks and didn't finish that either.. kinda funny.

2013-07-06 07:54:00 Author: Dortr Posts: 548

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Years for me, and still have yet to finish. Been on my Silent Hill 3 series since the release of lbp2. I am trying to put as much details and logic as I can, when it can take several days to make 1 area out of 150+ areas. you know your in over your head.

2013-07-13 06:33:00 Author: Rem25 Posts: 32

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Im still working on 4 levels , i know i told the community they would be done but im trying to re kindle my creativity , its hard to get motivated when no one plays your levels to start with , but i wont give up beetween a 50 hour work week and my other games im pretty bussy.

2013-07-13 17:46:00 Author: Brutal Posts: 184

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It typically takes me about 2 weeks to finish an average quality level. I usually make proof of concept type levels. I have made a few unique logic gates, one of which I have thus far published. Longest I've ever spent is about a month. It's called "Zombie Shooter (1P)". EDIT: I'm actually making a level currently, and it's still in development. I have a beta for it, and I've been working on it for about a month, although I've only spent a total of like 2 hours on it.

2013-07-15 00:05:00 Author: qwerty123456 Posts: 309

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I actually started a level today and have had so much free time that I've planned that it'll be finished by tomorrow or the next day.

2013-07-15 02:43:00 Author: Radio447 Posts: 159

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my level i just published has been an on and off project since the release of LBP2! i have no idea how many hours it took but it is a very long time lol. http://lbp.me/v/mg450j

2013-07-17 15:52:00 Author: RedSoakedSponge Posts: 52

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...weeks... ...months... ...years... ...infinity x2... Sometimes, I have the strange feeling that we should publish something even if it isn't entirely done... Just to have some feedback, just for the one player who will say: "I want to see this finished!".

2013-07-17 22:03:00 Author: Djibees Posts: 189

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Sometimes, I have the strange feeling that we should publish something even if it isn't entirely done... Just to have some feedback, just for the one player who will say: "I want to see this finished!". Exactly my thoughts during the last few weeks. After seeing how much more I have yet to be done, I caved and released an unfinished beta of the first area of my series. Still bugs yet, but it is there for those who want to test it and see the details.

2013-07-17 23:03:00 Author: Rem25 Posts: 32

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If I work on a level without getting distracted it would probably take around 10-12 hours to complete it, by distracted I mean coming up with a new idea and then go work on developing that idea, this happens all the time. I have a bunch of incomplete levels on my moon. x_x ...but hopefully I'll get to complete the one level I'm working on now. I just need something to prevent me from abandoning it. xD

2013-07-18 04:19:00 Author: stealthXG Posts: 18

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My first level took 6 months to complete, but a few months in between I wasn't working on it because it got 'locked' by a glitch and Iost my progress. I got back in and finished it. I also learned how to create as I created it. My second level took me a month and was actually fun to create. My third..... I think is gorgeous and took me 4 scrutinizing months. I started to ramp up expectations for myself after seeing the ridiculous things other were making. It became unfun and took too long. I'm unsure if ill ever create again. Until MM's new 3D game comes out.

2013-07-22 04:38:00 Author: Jrange378 Posts: 573

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Printz 2 has currently racked up about 800+ hours of creation time, which includes 2 binned levels, both at the completed stage. The current version has taken about 100 hours of creation so far, but this includes preplanning for logic and set designs. I havent written the dialogue script yet so thatll take some time.... level's at 50% thermo now with about 20% of the level built. But the vast majority remaining is logic, dialogue, music, sound and emitted puzzles etc. the first world for printz, split into three levels, took me about half a year to make. Possibly 2-300 hours create time. And now I think it sucks. The ideas were there but the execution was sloppy. All in all, I think that everyone creates differently. Some of us *cough* are messy workers who waste time with clean up and glitch proofing.... others (note; certainly not me!) are highly organised creatures who create efficiently and so save a lot of time. It also helps when you have a very clear idea of where you're going with something.... whereas I tend to faff about quite a lot, and mostly learn from my mistakes!

2013-07-22 11:46:00 Author: rialrees Posts: 1015

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Good to know you're still working on it at least!

2013-07-23 10:33:00 Author: Ali_Star Posts: 4085

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For me it depends on the level of detail and my amount of motivation. HAUS took a while because I was making it during a bad time, in addition it was very detailed which eats up more time than any amount of logic. Same thing for the Island of Aether. However, when the artstyle's not overly intricate and I have a good amount of motivation, I can shoot a level out in a week. All of my Vita levels were finished relatively quickly, and my current thing is going pretty smoothly.

2013-07-23 13:48:00 Author: bonner123 Posts: 1487

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I've made 6 story-platformers so far. Half of them took me around 80 hours each - the others almost twice as much. Since then I've spend over 300 hours (spread over nearly one year) however, for my newest creation. (Not yet published.) But sometimes I'm just sitting there, trying to find the right words and ideas or to solve a problem, without making any progress. Which is not only frustration but also leads to many breaks. And the level-limiter is also killing me over and over again.

2013-07-24 18:03:00 Author: Lumina Posts: 641

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I've been working on a circuit puzzler, and just a 50/80 grid system with cursor got me working for 16 hours... another extra 8 for the first dynamic puzzle piece that can be rotated and moved when clicked (i.e an AND gate) Edit: Also, I did this in 2 days. http://imgur.com/QhOBWLb

2013-08-07 03:52:00 Author: Alex-Raven Posts: 147

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Well I spent a year and change developing "Trial of the Faceless" but that was when my logic skill was lesser and it took longer to work things out. I spent about a month on my MM pick "Outbreak: Twisted corridors" and I'm now 6 months into my animated game "Dungeon Break", Although in total I haven't spent more than 120-150 hours on it and it's essentially done, just being tweaked around. My range of projects can be pretty wide depending on how into them I am.

2013-08-07 06:11:00 Author: Tynz21 Posts: 544

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I usually take one to three months to make a level. My longer projects have been for levels that use a lot of logic. And it's usually gameplay that I haven't seen in too many levels, so I can't look something up if I get stuck. Grid movement is a tricky Ba^%#*&% Also, I like taking my time... stop creating for three weeks or so and go back to it with a new perspective. My shortest level was made in a day, but that was an anomaly heh. My hidden objects levels thankfully didn't take very long because Schnupsi gave me her logic. Saved so much time

2013-08-07 07:49:00 Author: Greensmurfy Posts: 300

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A normal platformer takes me 4 months.Ship's like Titanic and hmhs Britannic have taken a year to create.

2013-08-28 07:26:00 Author: Lbphart3 Posts: 813

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Two years and counting lol I think it depends on what genre of game you are making. For instance, rpgs take a bit more time than platformers( in most cases). Survival levels take less time to create than platformers etc.

2013-08-29 00:20:00 Author: Rpg Maker Posts: 877

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Well, I think the biggest problem is the when you hit the wall, If you can power through it you may take a good month but if you can't you will take like 6 months longer

2013-09-02 00:17:00 Author: Jonarrthan Posts: 310

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I haven't had a level where I didn't hit that wall and it's quite sad actually as I really like some of the levels on my moon and I want a lot of them to be published but alas, I can only create well in moments of inspiration. The only level I've managed to push past some blocks is my current project LBPPlatformer but honestly I don't think I'll ever publish it because it's too big to do with what little free time I have because of my involvement in theatre.

2013-09-02 07:40:00 Author: koltonaugust Posts: 1382

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