Ideas for good level design?

Started by R.A.V.S.O, February 03, 2016, 01:07:13 am

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R.A.V.S.O

Feel free to skip this intro if you'd like:
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Alright so, as I keep learning on how to use Unity 5.0+ more efficiently I've been testing out my programming and
game design skills, and I've been feeling a bit more secure on my overall skill, so I've decided to begin a personal project
with my sister (graphical designer & animator) while I tank the code (overall developer & game design),
we decided to give the classical 2D platformer genre a shot.

We more or less have an idea of what we'd like the game to be about, our character design seems fair enough, we're already
beginning to work on some test sprites, and I feel there's at least enough test materials to move on in development


So, I've got this [TEST] Working 2D character on Unity, and luckily making working 2D levels (in terms of layout and collision)
has been made EASY with the awesomeness that is the Tiled2Unity plugin, yup all the goodness of Tiled now ported to Unity
and it gives me flawless collisions as well, so long story short, level layout creation is a significantly less arduous experience
now that I don't have to design levels piece by piece inside of Unity's editor.

which brings me to my current issue..... Level Design.

Although now making a level itself isn't hard, it's coming up with ideas that gets to me, while I do know that overall fun
levels aren't just a simple stroll from point A to point B with some gimmick along the way, I do believe I lack a creative side
for proper level design, so I've gotta ask the mapping veterans around here,

What are some good ideas or tips for good level design?

now you're probably wondering, what type of platformer are you developing, some level designs are only good for some
types and vice versa, well overall, I'm aiming for the following aspects

-Seemingly Simple: levels where there's a clear sense of direction but encourage the player to take detours.

-Revisit Friendly: levels that present alternate "off-road" routes if the player has the proper skills to traverse it

-Connected: Have some places connect to a HUB while keeping a few shortcuts connecting levels between themselves.

all in all these sound like a Metroidvania oriented mapping style, but all in all, I'm aiming for mapping that grants replay value
and doesn't feel tedious.

so, what are your thoughts everyone?
Personality Test results
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"Life is unfair, so make it unfair in your favor" -Sesilou

KK20

> Metroidvania
May I present to you "Generic"
http://generic2d.blogspot.com/

It hasn't been updated in years (which is a huge shame), but there is a demo of it that you can play a fairly good amount of.

It's also cool that I found out this person graduated from the same university as me. Too bad I have no idea where he is now.

Other Projects
RPG Maker XP Ace  Upgrade RMXP to RMVXA performance!
XPA Tilemap  Tilemap rewrite with many features, including custom resolution!

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