Level Design and Keen

Discussion and analysis of graphics, story, levels, and so on.
KeenRush
Patch Maker
Posts: 1988
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2003 2:52 pm
Location: Sand Yego
Contact:

Post by KeenRush »

Well, try for yourself.. Or test for example that Grelphy's mod. :)
User avatar
XkyRauh
Posts: 1114
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2003 9:14 pm
Location: San Diego, California

re: level design

Post by XkyRauh »

Any advice for marking an area of a level as "optional?" Keen6 and Keen5 had "hazard" signs placed here and there, and it'd be easy to use a few spare background tiles for a similar idea... but are there other ways to do it?

--Xky
Joseph

doors

Post by Joseph »

Two doors, both the same color, the arrow points to the right door however you can take the other door, thus extending your stay in the level.
User avatar
levellord
Crazy pAtChEr
Posts: 1401
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2003 11:35 pm
Location: NewZealand
Contact:

Post by levellord »

A switch; fall down to exit, build a bridge to continue. Or a bonus sign, follow the passage up to stay in the level. Or multiple exits.
User avatar
XkyRauh
Posts: 1114
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2003 9:14 pm
Location: San Diego, California

Revival of a topic

Post by XkyRauh »

Alright, new direction for discussion:

Code: Select all

16 levels in a standard Keen game.  How many 'easy'/short levels?  How many 'hard'/long levels?  How long is too long?  How short is too short?  How linear is linear?
Keen1 had many 'hut' levels, which appeared smaller on the MAP screen, but were often times larger in-game than parts levels (compare a later hut, like 14 or 15 to the Joystick level, which I believe is 04). This translation worked fine for Keen1 because the hut levels appeared smaller and were optional--a good simulacrum of their importance.

Keen2 took a different approach: all levels on the map were the same size, but the more important levels were labelled specifically "SYDNEY"/"ROME"/etc. Optional levels were labelled more inconspicuously, WA (Weapons A) and HB (Home B). Similarly, the larger levels were placed farther from the start location.

Keen3, due to the map screen's multiple teleporters, didn't really have a very good distribution of difficulty, in my opinion.

Code: Select all

That being said, some levels FEEL longer than others.  This can be both good and bad.  A large level that FEELS longer can be tiresome or stressful to a player--particularly if the challenge doesn't occur until the very end of a level.  However, making a small level FEEL bigger/longer can be a very rewarding experience: the levels I classify as the most fun are often those that are the most snug.
The Maze level (level13?) in Keen1 is an example of a "long" level in my mind--mostly because the initial direction you're supposed to go is ambiguous, and you spend more time seeing places you COULD be as opposed to places you ARE.

In contrast, the Joystick level (level04?) is quite snug in size, but feels large, due to the way things are laid out. You've got a distraction right at the start (balloons/lolipops!) and a few extraneous floors to explore. Once you get a keycard, you've got a short backtrack to do, and then you get a small 'open' area (no ceiling). Take a risk for a small backtrack for points, then hop over some dangers twice for another keycard, and then a back'n'forth ascent to a Vorticon. Short, sweet, to the point, and not necessarily a cakewalk for a beginning gamer.

Code: Select all

[b]That[/b] being said, there's gotta be a balance to be found.  We've got 16 core levels to work with.  Depending on which Keen you're modding, only 4/8/1 of those levels is absolutely necessary.  Of the leftover ones, how many should be 'huts'?  How many should be 'epics'?
I realize that this could quickly turn into a discussion of "how to use space wisely" and that's okay with me: Many beginning mods (my own Ice Factory level included) suffered from "Long Hallway Syndrome," and anything we can do to get beyond that is ideal.

So, without further ado: thoughts, ideas, pictures? :-)

--Xky
User avatar
levellord
Crazy pAtChEr
Posts: 1401
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2003 11:35 pm
Location: NewZealand
Contact:

Post by levellord »

Considering that we can utilize 32 levels (and more) with patching, I think a large number of 'hut' levels can be used. These should be placed not only as arbitary levels off the beaten track, but also as used in Keen 4-6, as guard posts bridges etc. These levels could be very small, about 20x30 tiles, and could be used to show off neat visual effects. (This bridge level shows off a waterfall, that hut is all green inside.)

A variation on small vs large levels is making a level simalar to the maze in Lego Keen, easy to leave, but there's a whole level to explore if you want...

Large levels need not suffer from long hallways, of late I have been trying to allow myself to fill large areas with sky or solid blocks, this can have quite an effect.

Epic levels can also be very long in length or height, these create tunnel or 'fall down' levels. Long hallways can be a problem here, but I find having a few ice launchers to push you along adds to the excitement a bit.

All said I think at least one level should be built bigger than 60x60 that contains ALL of your tileset, it's amazing the scene changes as you try to fit say your grass and city tiles next to each other.
User avatar
XkyRauh
Posts: 1114
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2003 9:14 pm
Location: San Diego, California

re: tunnels and climbs

Post by XkyRauh »

Another way to break up the monotony of L.H.S. is to utilize the tileset the way you suggested, levellord. Start your tunnel level with one tile type, say, snow, and then work your way out towards grass, or further into a cave. Good suggestion!

--Xky
User avatar
XkyRauh
Posts: 1114
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2003 9:14 pm
Location: San Diego, California

more level design

Post by XkyRauh »

When filling a "big room" area, how do you go about it?

* Multiple single-brick platforms floating randomly with points scattered?

* More organized two- or three-brick wide platforms floating less randomly with points scattered?

* Single tower of jump-up-able bricks with columns of points off either side?

* Horizontal rows or hallways with zig-zag ascending points?

* Pits of danger embedded in buckets of bricks?

* Picture/image embedded/centered in background?

* Vaguely triangular collection of platforms, neglecting an entire corner of the space?

When all is said and done, there's really only so many ways you can fill space in a level--I'm curious what methods you guys use as a first instinct. Personally, I tend to use pillars and two- or three-brick wide platforms.

--Xky
User avatar
levellord
Crazy pAtChEr
Posts: 1401
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2003 11:35 pm
Location: NewZealand
Contact:

Post by levellord »

* A good smattering of all the above mixed randomly.

* Fill the room with blocks, then dig out hallways.

* Split the room into lots of pieces; connect with teleporters.

* Make an Ice cannon slide.

* Show off the tileset by filling space with something that needs a lot of room.
KeenRush
Patch Maker
Posts: 1988
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2003 2:52 pm
Location: Sand Yego
Contact:

Post by KeenRush »

All those are very good ideas. :)
User avatar
XkyRauh
Posts: 1114
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2003 9:14 pm
Location: San Diego, California

re: Suggesting

Post by XkyRauh »

Alright, I don't want to come off sounding arrogant, rude, or self-righteous here... I'm looking for more feedback from the community. I think, if this discussion goes well, it could be beneficial for the Keen Community Mod that's in progress.

Here's a link to a map picture of Rome in Keen2:
http://www.classicgaming.com/cc314/ency ... lvl13.html
Here's some things that immediately strike me, Xky wrote:* Huge instance of Long Hallway Syndrome at the top of the level.
* Points are infrequent, and high-valued (9,200 total points in the level not counting the Vorti-teddies guarded by the Vorticon Elites, +10,000 for destroying Space Amoeba = 19,200 upon completion--almost an extra life)
* Layout is such that it is impossible to fail destroying the Space Amoeba--without cheating, there is no way to get the "Oops." message and destroy the Earth. (Well... I suppose you MIGHT be able to pogo up the passage to the left of the Vorticon Elite... but there's four of them there. Good freakin' luck.)
That being said, here's what I'm curious about.

Code: Select all

* What would you do to avoid the LHS at the top?
* Would you change the point distribution in the level?
* How could you solve the "Oops." problem?
* Do you think the Shortcut is possible?  Is it worth keeping there?
* What else would you change, if you were designing this level?
:-) Sorry if I sound high and mighty for criticizing the original Keen:Vorticons levels, I just think it's a good launching platform for discussion. It's one thing to create hypotheses about theoretical Level Design, and something else entirely to analyze and discuss a base model.

--Xky
KeenRush
Patch Maker
Posts: 1988
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2003 2:52 pm
Location: Sand Yego
Contact:

Post by KeenRush »

I guess you're talking in case if I were the original level designer.. Well..


What would you do to avoid the LHS at the top?
I would have made the level higher and added there some stuff. But in case it isn't possible, in some places I would have flowered the "Hall" floor 4-5 tiles and done some traps and enemies there. And placed collectiables there.

Would you change the point distribution in the level?
Depends how hard the mod is - if the mod is as "hard" as Keen 1, I would maybe lower it or keep it as it is, or if so hard as Keen 3 (or Shadow Keen), I would add a lot more points to give player some extra lives.. :)

How could you solve the "Oops." problem?
It would need some seriously design, but I would move that machine higher, make a path go below it and then you could "climb" up from the path and cause "Oops." if want to. And I definitely would take some of those vorticons away, those are annoying!

Do you think the Shortcut is possible? Is it worth keeping there?
I guess I haven't ever managed in using that, it isn't worth of keeping there, unless the amount of those vorticons will be lowered. Or if you just want to tease player. :P

What else would you change, if you were designing this level?
Dunno..


Anyways, those questions start to sound as some school stuff "what would you, why, what to change".... :P
User avatar
CommanderSpleen
Posts: 1017
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2003 12:11 pm
Location: The Land of Sparkly Things
Contact:

Spleen's Thoughts...

Post by CommanderSpleen »

Ugh. That level is rather poorly designed, actually.

All those points lying about all over the place with a zero challenge rating... that's what I'd change first. Well, second after resizing the level and converting that hallway into something interesting. Even perhaps create a column either side of the tantalus leading the player underneath from the left and then looping back from the right to enter near the top. That'd give a couple of new wall-riding hazards. Knowing me, I'd probably put in a spark maze or something in one of the columns.

The lack of access to the lever is easlily fixed after the redesign. I might even reverse the layout of the tantalus in this level--have the switch and the monitor on the right-hand-side. That would certainly be interesting. I'd rearrange the Vorticon Elite, and arrange a new shortcut that's just a bit easier. Perhaps a lift cruising through the middle of one of the spark mazes--it'd require some nifty timing to avoid getting knocked off into the sparks along the way, and perhaps offer access to some bonus points in an area Keen can't jump to without hitting a spark.

At the bottom of the column not containing the spark maze, I'd place that pit found on the right of the original level, with more or less the existing hazards, and then some more posing a slight challenge for those extra points.

---

One thing that's been bugging me is how to design levels to suit a particular purpose, and create 'neutral' tiles to add some interest to the background.

But I guess that's mostly because thus far I've approached level design with a rather random approach--I try to work in a couple of hazards and such, but from there it's mostly slap-it-together-and-keep-the-player-on-their-toes.

But perhaps there's some common ground. Things like certain colours not going well together, or rearranging backgrounds and point icons/enemies/etc, or the frequency that background tiles of certain types show up.

Any thoughts?

>Commander Spleen
User avatar
XkyRauh
Posts: 1114
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2003 9:14 pm
Location: San Diego, California

re: background

Post by XkyRauh »

[Edit:] Alright, I'll give away the tricks I used in my Keen2 mod, even though it's not officially released yet.

"Panels"
This one's simple, and incredibly effective. Set aside eight background tiles for these. I used the light grey color as my basic background, so I used dark grey for the lower left corner, and white for the upper right, and using these eight tiles, I made a sort of "3d" background layer, like this:

Code: Select all

 _   _   _
|         |

|         |

|_   _   _|
Note that the center tile isn't used. These are just simple lines that make a box (I added buttons in the corners, much like Mario 3's big colored platforms) but set a pixel or two inside the tile's border to be sure they're not mistaken for SOLID platforms. By using this sort of pseudo-3d background, you can add "layers" to a level. This does a wonderful job of making an area feel "full" without actually having anything in it.

Diagonals
Many background tiles that are designed are one-block repetitions. A 16x16 image that's usually symmetrical both up-down and left-right, so that it can be tiled from here till the cows come home and make a background. The default Keen2 background is a good example of this: thatchwork.

Instead of doing one-brick tiling, try doing a 2 brick tiling, that works in a checkerboard fashion.

Code: Select all

Rather than:     You do:
AAAAAAAA        ABABABAB
AAAAAAAA        BABABABA
AAAAAAAA        ABABABAB
AAAAAAAA        BABABABA
Once you have that worked out, you can actually just do diagonal "stripes" of this pattern through your level.

Code: Select all

    AB
   AB 
  AB
 AB 
AB
This can fill the corners of a boxy room without resorting to chunky wall diagonals (inverse stairs), and it can also add a bit of continuity to an entire level: have one stripe running through it from lower left to upper right. This was one of the first background tricks I tried when designing graphics for my Keen2 mod.

Diamonds
I actually used to have a screenshot of this before my Angelfire account died, but basically it's a one-block (16x16) background tile that's a simple insignia of one color (and you have multiple colors) Then, whenever you have one of the jump-up-thru-the-bottom-of-them platforms, you just put a little diamond insignia on top of it.

Code: Select all

Rather than:        You do:

                       ####
  ^^^^                 ^^^^
The ASCII art just doesn't do it justice--but it helps define your platforms as a part of the background. You don't have to do it on EVERY platform, but there are certain places where you need a touch of depth.

Multiple-tile-repetition (think Keen4-6)
This one's also very easy--just look at the Keen:Galaxy backgrounds! They're all several blocks wide and tall. Set aside a nice 3x4 chunk of background blocks and create something LARGE that tiles.

Code: Select all

      DA F DA F
     BCE  BCE
    DA F DA F
   BCE  BCE
  DA F DA F
 BCE  BCE
DA F DA F
or

Code: Select all

12345
67890
12345
67890
12345

The disadvantages to this is that 1) You can't really end it without sacrificing tons of extra blocks for "fade" effects, and 2) You can't place points on them (unless you get super creative with the layouts) ...but the way I got around THAT issue was:

Columns (Both foreground and background!)
Yep, that's right, those pesky masking tiles can be your savior. Look at it this way: You've got a short hallway connecting two larger areas. Rather than just plaster a few points in there, you can put columns along either end of the hallway, and put one of your nifty multi-tile repetition backgrounds in the middle!

Code: Select all

________              _______
        |            |
        |            |
        |____________|
         $abcabcabca$
         $defdefdefd$
*****************************
Again, the ASCII art just doesn't show how cool this looks--not only do you have visual definition and separation of two distinct parts of your level, but you've got a great hallway that doesn't use extra blocks for fading!

Insets
Same as the Panels up above, only using shading in the opposite way. Rather than have a part of the background that appears to jut forward a bit, you've now got a part of the background that sinks deeper into itself.

The difference is that you can set up "tracks" of these insets, and put your Elevator replacements on/near them--much like the GoPlats in Keen5. It's a nifty little touch that can add depth and recognition to your levels: A player who encounters the "tracks" will know to stand and wait for an elevator! :-)

...

...

...

As for creating levels with "themes," check out this snippet from my XkyKeen2.txt design document:
In his design document, Xky wrote:
Jumping -- lightswitched yellow and blue level. Narlns and sentries. Haulbulks.

Pogo -- tall lighted red vertical climb. exclusive use of Tubs.

Enemies -- purple and cyan level. many Narlns, some shortcuts with Tubs. Ammo okay.

Cunning -- dark black and green level. many Kazzyts, a few sentries. Haulbulks.

Intuition -- lightswitched red, yellow and cyan. a few Narlns, scattered points.

Hunting -- lighted cyan level (green/blue background). a smattering, lots of points.

Stealth -- dark black and purple level. many Ninja, a few Kazzyts. Haulbulks. No Ammo!

Final -- long lightswitched red, green, and blue level. a chunk of everything.
For a bit of explanation, the Haulbulks are my Elevator replacements, and they're a bit on the large side. Kazzyts are my replacement for the Vorti-kids, Ninja is my nickname for the Narln in Stealth Gear, and Tubs are my replacement for the Scrubs.

The important thing, in my opinion, is defining COLORS, ENEMIES, and GOALS for each level. I don't know how much I've revealed, but this design document basically gives away that each one of my levels is centered somewhat around testing a Keen skill--be it something as basic as "Jumping" or something as complex as "Cunning" (i.e. puzzle solving and using enemies in unique ways--Tubs are fun!)

That being said, I'll be the first to admit these docs are NOT set in stone. My Intuition levels started out being R-G-B, not R-Y-C... and I don't think I used lightswitches in them, either. The point is, I had something to start from that wasn't "Well, if I put these tiles here it'll be kinda hard."

...

...

...

Well, that's about all the stuff I used for my Keen2 mod. It doesn't all necessarily make sense now, but wait until 3/14 and then critique the snot out of it. :-) I'm really eager for feedback on my mod--I'll probably even release it early.

I'm out of secrets... :-)

--Xky
User avatar
levellord
Crazy pAtChEr
Posts: 1401
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2003 11:35 pm
Location: NewZealand
Contact:

Post by levellord »

Too much information...too good level tips.. brain can't handle...Gaah!

I have no hope of ever implementing anything like that so I'll stick to my hack style of design.
Post Reply