Galaxy Level Design and Basic Rules
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 9:18 am
These are a set of basic rules, 'ten commandments', I've written for designing levels in Keen Galaxy. These rules assume several things about a levelpack or mod:
a) The original tilted perspective of Keen's 4-6 is used. If other perspectives are used (no tilted perspective, vertical tilt only perspective) some rules will not apply.
b) The aim of the gameplay is to be similar to Keen's 4-6. If other gameplay concepts are the intention of the levels (a puzzle style, etc) then some rules will not apply.
Without futher todo, here are the rules:
1. Thou shalt never create a room within a level with no escape, or with no escape but death.
For many players, this is particularly frustrating, especially if they saved in that room thinking they could escape but instead have to restart the level. A player should never be forced to commit suicide unless they run out of ammo.
2. Thou shalt never use more than one of each of the four key gem colors in a single level.
There are two official levels which break this: Bloogton Tower and the Pyramid of the forbidden. Bloogton Tower has only 4 gems, two of which are red. I consider this a mistake; one of those should have been yellow (there are no yellow gems in the level). The pyramid of the forbidden has 5 gems total (two red ones). This does look like the only good reason to have more than 4 gems (the first red gem is used in a very specific, limiting way which forces the player to get it and immediately use it).
Why only 4 gems? Because if a level is using more, that probably indicates it is too long, too hard, or uses gem doors in an excessive and pointless manner.
3. Thou shalt never force the player to navigate behind the foreground to reach the exit, unless the exit of the foreground area is within clear sight of the entrance of said area.
This means that Keen should never have to enter a secret passage to finish a level if the exit to that secret passage is out of sight. Keen should never have to go into a secret passage to find a key, or get to a switch, etc. This is because while Keen is in the passage, the player has no idea what is in there or where it will go, or even that the area was there at all.
4. Thou shalt never force the player to navigate invisible platforms to reach the exit.
Invisible platforms are only for optional areas. Period.
5. Walls shall never be less than 2 solid tiles thick. Borders shall never be less than 1 solid tile thick unless the border is within the same 'room' as the entrance or exit of the level, in which case the absence of border is permitted.
In Keen galaxy, because of the way the platforms are designed with their tile properties, a wall that is one solid tile thick results in Keen's hand sticking through the wall. This just doesn't look right visually.
Additionally, it is important to keep a tile between the level and the edge of the screen if Keen is indoors. Otherwise, this can easily confused players as to where the exit of the level is and will leave players wondering why they can't go further to that side. A wall tells the player exactly where the level border is. Outdoor levels that take place above ground do not need these borders.
6. The first level shall not contain key gem doors, more than one switch, or regular doors unless they lead to optional areas.
First levels in Commander Keen are traditionally the easiest in each episode and require only walking, jumping, and a little bit of shooting. Keep with this tradition to help familiarize your audience with what your game looks like and how it plays so that they are not overwhelmed right away.
7. Thou shalt never be more confusing than necessary with doors. This entails, but is not limited to, making door puzzles longer than four rooms, having more than 2 doors in a level when said doors link to areas that otherwise reachable by not entering doors, and using more than two doors to separate any single key gem and corresponding key gem holder more than once in a single level.
Doors can be extremely disorienting for players. The point of doors, generally, should be to take a player from one area to another, either as a shortcut or as the only way into a new area. Rarely should they be used to confuse players, as this can be very frustrating.
8. Thou shalt always include SGA letters or an indicator of some kind as to what a switch affects if the affected area is in another room or section of the level.
If you have a switch that affects a platform or bridge in another room, make sure they have matching symbols to indicate this to the player. It might be obvious to you when making the level, but your audience will appreciate these clues and enjoy your levels more when they don't have to guess what switches do.
9. Thou shalt never leave more than three fourths of a screens area of space devoid of accessibility.
When making Keen Galaxy levels, it's important to use your space wisely. If you have a big section of a level that doesn't have anything in it, such a place that is just covered with ground tiles, add some rooms and paths around this area. This will keep your levels feeling like there is plenty to explore without actually having to make the level dimensions bigger.
The above said, having big open rooms can be great in terms of exploration and just to convey a sense of openness to the player. Just make sure that open space isn't too open or boring! A few small platforms, some poles hanging from the ceiling, some moving goplats, ceiling height variation, etc.
10. Thou shalt never forget to place enough ammo, although too much ammo is an equitable sin.
The player should always be able to come into a level with zero ammo and be able to collect enough ammo in the level to complete it without having to grab ammo, die, and restart with that extra ammo.
This doesn't necessarily mean a player should have enough ammo to kill everything, but they should be able to get enough to get at least beat the level.
Apocryphal 11. Thou shalt never use more than three enemy sprites in a screen sized room, unless they can fly. More may be added as the room size increases.
Too many enemies in a room is a problem. It can be overwhelming to the player to have so much going on on the screen at once. This is a hard rule to maintain, especially when some enemies can wonder into rooms where they weren't originally placed. Being aware of the rule, however, will help prevent spamming of enemies and overwhelming a player.
Additionally, in Keen Galaxy there is a problem comparable to Long Hallway Syndrome which I'm calling Long Pole Syndrome. This is when a level has an extremely long pole which Keen is required to climb. Climbing a pole is a slow task and one which can bore the player quickly. Make climbing a pole more interesting by adding side rooms with points that the player can jump into on the way up or down a pole, or break up the pole directly with a room which leads to another pole.
Thoughts? Additional rules? Exceptions or disputes with the above rules and suggestions? Lets here it :)
a) The original tilted perspective of Keen's 4-6 is used. If other perspectives are used (no tilted perspective, vertical tilt only perspective) some rules will not apply.
b) The aim of the gameplay is to be similar to Keen's 4-6. If other gameplay concepts are the intention of the levels (a puzzle style, etc) then some rules will not apply.
Without futher todo, here are the rules:
1. Thou shalt never create a room within a level with no escape, or with no escape but death.
For many players, this is particularly frustrating, especially if they saved in that room thinking they could escape but instead have to restart the level. A player should never be forced to commit suicide unless they run out of ammo.
2. Thou shalt never use more than one of each of the four key gem colors in a single level.
There are two official levels which break this: Bloogton Tower and the Pyramid of the forbidden. Bloogton Tower has only 4 gems, two of which are red. I consider this a mistake; one of those should have been yellow (there are no yellow gems in the level). The pyramid of the forbidden has 5 gems total (two red ones). This does look like the only good reason to have more than 4 gems (the first red gem is used in a very specific, limiting way which forces the player to get it and immediately use it).
Why only 4 gems? Because if a level is using more, that probably indicates it is too long, too hard, or uses gem doors in an excessive and pointless manner.
3. Thou shalt never force the player to navigate behind the foreground to reach the exit, unless the exit of the foreground area is within clear sight of the entrance of said area.
This means that Keen should never have to enter a secret passage to finish a level if the exit to that secret passage is out of sight. Keen should never have to go into a secret passage to find a key, or get to a switch, etc. This is because while Keen is in the passage, the player has no idea what is in there or where it will go, or even that the area was there at all.
4. Thou shalt never force the player to navigate invisible platforms to reach the exit.
Invisible platforms are only for optional areas. Period.
5. Walls shall never be less than 2 solid tiles thick. Borders shall never be less than 1 solid tile thick unless the border is within the same 'room' as the entrance or exit of the level, in which case the absence of border is permitted.
In Keen galaxy, because of the way the platforms are designed with their tile properties, a wall that is one solid tile thick results in Keen's hand sticking through the wall. This just doesn't look right visually.
Additionally, it is important to keep a tile between the level and the edge of the screen if Keen is indoors. Otherwise, this can easily confused players as to where the exit of the level is and will leave players wondering why they can't go further to that side. A wall tells the player exactly where the level border is. Outdoor levels that take place above ground do not need these borders.
6. The first level shall not contain key gem doors, more than one switch, or regular doors unless they lead to optional areas.
First levels in Commander Keen are traditionally the easiest in each episode and require only walking, jumping, and a little bit of shooting. Keep with this tradition to help familiarize your audience with what your game looks like and how it plays so that they are not overwhelmed right away.
7. Thou shalt never be more confusing than necessary with doors. This entails, but is not limited to, making door puzzles longer than four rooms, having more than 2 doors in a level when said doors link to areas that otherwise reachable by not entering doors, and using more than two doors to separate any single key gem and corresponding key gem holder more than once in a single level.
Doors can be extremely disorienting for players. The point of doors, generally, should be to take a player from one area to another, either as a shortcut or as the only way into a new area. Rarely should they be used to confuse players, as this can be very frustrating.
8. Thou shalt always include SGA letters or an indicator of some kind as to what a switch affects if the affected area is in another room or section of the level.
If you have a switch that affects a platform or bridge in another room, make sure they have matching symbols to indicate this to the player. It might be obvious to you when making the level, but your audience will appreciate these clues and enjoy your levels more when they don't have to guess what switches do.
9. Thou shalt never leave more than three fourths of a screens area of space devoid of accessibility.
When making Keen Galaxy levels, it's important to use your space wisely. If you have a big section of a level that doesn't have anything in it, such a place that is just covered with ground tiles, add some rooms and paths around this area. This will keep your levels feeling like there is plenty to explore without actually having to make the level dimensions bigger.
The above said, having big open rooms can be great in terms of exploration and just to convey a sense of openness to the player. Just make sure that open space isn't too open or boring! A few small platforms, some poles hanging from the ceiling, some moving goplats, ceiling height variation, etc.
10. Thou shalt never forget to place enough ammo, although too much ammo is an equitable sin.
The player should always be able to come into a level with zero ammo and be able to collect enough ammo in the level to complete it without having to grab ammo, die, and restart with that extra ammo.
This doesn't necessarily mean a player should have enough ammo to kill everything, but they should be able to get enough to get at least beat the level.
Apocryphal 11. Thou shalt never use more than three enemy sprites in a screen sized room, unless they can fly. More may be added as the room size increases.
Too many enemies in a room is a problem. It can be overwhelming to the player to have so much going on on the screen at once. This is a hard rule to maintain, especially when some enemies can wonder into rooms where they weren't originally placed. Being aware of the rule, however, will help prevent spamming of enemies and overwhelming a player.
Additionally, in Keen Galaxy there is a problem comparable to Long Hallway Syndrome which I'm calling Long Pole Syndrome. This is when a level has an extremely long pole which Keen is required to climb. Climbing a pole is a slow task and one which can bore the player quickly. Make climbing a pole more interesting by adding side rooms with points that the player can jump into on the way up or down a pole, or break up the pole directly with a room which leads to another pole.
Thoughts? Additional rules? Exceptions or disputes with the above rules and suggestions? Lets here it :)