Level Design Technique

Discussion and analysis of graphics, story, levels, and so on.
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CommanderSpleen
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Level Design Technique

Post by CommanderSpleen »

It's always interesting to hear how other game-modders approach level design. As such, I'm about to offer some ideas as to how I approach this task, and hopefully others may be able to extend some of them and offer alternatives.

Level variation is a good thing in any game, and having a thread that presents a number of different viewpoints, offering perspectives that would otherwise have been unobserved by some, would be invaluable in such an endeavour.

I've made many levels for a number of games, including Duke3D and Jetpack (Commander Keen as well, but nothing I'm satisfied with as yet), and I've found that no matter how many levels I make there's always a new way to challenge the player and make a completely unique level.

I love making Jetpack levels. Even though levels are only one screen, and there's a relatively limited tileset, it's always possible to create something that nobody's ever thought of before. (This is something that tends to be forgotten when moving onto a game such as Commander Keen where levels can be so much larger and so many more tiles are available--where one isn't required to be as resourceful with ideas).

In the Duke3D Build documentation, the final hint offered by the Levellord (He who created many of the levels in the game) is: THINK DEVIOUSLY. And I do. Wherever I can put a trap, I put a trap. Wherever the player is likely to assume solid ground, I put a false floor. And whenever the player is likely to assume that because initially they were likely to assume solid ground that there would be a false floor, I put a death trap. It's certainly fun watching someone trying to pass one of my patented passage-mazes (an array of 2xY passageways with teleporters, insane traps and confusing insanity).

And with Duke3D level design, things can become very interesting indeed. I design specifically for Dukematch (though I tend to offer an interesting single player challenge sometimes), and I like complexity. I created one level called Jim's Complex, similar in style to the absolute classic (IMHO) Goldeney64 Complex. I took the opportunity in that level to create a small room in a well-trafficked, two-doorway room, accessible only through a one-way masked wall. Inside is an RPG and some ammo, and a message on the wall more or less laughing at the player, who promptly realises there's no way out of the room and their only hope is to play sniper with their newfound toy through the conveniently placed window that nobody else can see through. I laughed insanely the first time that trap worked.

Item placement is one thing that often slips me up. It's difficult to decide just where to put what weapons in Duke, whether to fill certain areas in Jetpack with bonus items, or finding the right balance of point items in Commander Keen (I'm still trying to get the hang of this). I like to create complex puzzles, and punctuate certain steps along the way with point items. But it's hard to decide whether there's any point considering the player is meant to get there anyway (I find out-of-the-way bonus areas more appropriate for that sort of thing).

Puzzles that have a plain-view end solution are usually entertaining; that door at the start of the level hiding the exit taunting the player as he/she navigates through an intricate network of doors and platforms, then finally after all else is collected remains a door the same colour as the one hiding the exit, concealing a 5,000 point gem--which shall it be--sweep the level clean, or pass it?

Symmetry is entertaining, especially when combined with non-symmetrical puzzles. Trying to figure out which damn corner in my Duke3D Arena (two square arenas with a moat surrounding a floating central building containing various items; linked in each corner with a teleporter just outside a room containing a weapon; and a small pillbox on two sides), has the RPG and which teleporter was rigged with a bunch of tripbombs certainly keeps the players on their toes.

I'm yet to apply symmetry to Commander Keen, but just in writing all this I'm seeing some ideas forming... especially with the new teleporter patch... *drools*

Keeping things organic I find important also. Long passageways with little activity lead to stagnation of any interest the player once had in solving a puzzle, yet excessive bonuses or enemies unbalances things and leaves the player becoming bored and/or frustrated. I try to work sub-storylines into my levels (not necessarily communicated to the player, but definitely guiding my decisions in what I'm putting into the level), giving each one, and their respective puzzles, a reason for existing. Putting in a puzzle just for gameplay's sake seems too superficial. Just as a novel or movie is more convincing when each event, and each characters' decisions, have a reason within the story, so I believe a game should have a convincing storyline, and either the game moulded to the storyline or vice versa if certain parts don't match up. (I hate phone conversations in movies where only one person can be heard, with the gaps in the conversation being filled by fully-fledged answers like, 'No, I didn't know that there's a huge fleet of enemy ships heading this way and I have only five minutes to escape before they arrive and destroy the village, and incidentally me. What's that you say? You're the only one who knows how to stop it? You want me to get out?')

I've always had a habit of assuming different conclusions to other people if they're dead set on one interpretation, and indeed assuming conclusions that are left open without the other person realising. This is especially fun when people use double negatives or puns without noticing, and indeed it gets the point across when they get names to certain things wrong ('Huh? What the hell are you talking about? I don't know anything of that description that goes by that name!')

And as such, I use people's tendency to assume too much to their disadvantage, playing amusing mind-games and constantly keeping them on their toes, when designing levels (and, of course, in my general everyday life). Subtle things like pogo-bricks (as I shall now call the using-pogo-tile-as-secret-wall idea) that cause the player to fall off the bottom of the screen completely unexpectedly, or a trail of points leading the player off the edge of a platform and into some floating evilness (and of course a TEE HEE sign just to savour the moment in advance).

Complexity, as I said above, is an element I favor. Diverging paths that ultimately end up part of the same puzzle, mini-puzzles within mini-puzzles, and every opportunity to make a stupid mistake. However, I do my best not to engage in repetitive puzzles (ie. opening a door, collecting another card hidden behind it (in front of yet another door), navigating through three passages that end up six tiles above, opening another door, collecting a card behind it (which has another door behind it, returning to the other door, and continuing the process until finally all the doors are open. I came across a level like this while browsing for modding stuff over the past month.)

Oh, yeah. Another game I did a lot of work with was StarCraft. This had some interesting elements--working out where to put resources, where to start the players, what obstacles to put throughout the map, and so on. But I never really went for traditional maps--I tried to make the most of the triggers, making entire scenarios and such. But I could never be bothered finishing my levels, and I'd say that's because I never gave myself a scope. There were always so many options, so many triggers and units and so on, that I could never make up my mind as to exactly what was to happen in the level. This lesson applies to other games just as equally--levels are far less convincing, if they're ever completed satisfactorily, if the author doesn't have a reason for making it, whether that reason is simply to offer the player a challenge, or to fit a theme or storyline. In my case, it's all three--I try to offer a novel challenge, while keeping the level within a theme and interlocking into the storyline.

So generally, these are the elements I try to fit into my levels:
o Deviousness (using assumptions to form traps)
o Complexity (requiring the solution of a lot of different puzzles)
o Organicism (a reason for everything being where/how it is)

Deceiving, challenging, enthralling and convincing.

Anyway, these are just some tidbits of information. I may continue later in this thread, but for now, enjoy.

>Commander Spleen
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Post by KeenRush »

Heh, pretty good "article"! :)
Can't wait the mod - I will be spending hours beating it..
I haven't really used any puzzle or trap stuff on my mods, but my next one is going to be full of them.. >:D
I have also some experience on Duke 3D levels - though I didn't finish almost any, because I always deleted them before finishing them totally, and I didn't like that so much. And gotta say; nothing beats CK level editing! I love it!
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Post by Ilsoap »

Well, I guess I can post my experiences with level editing Lego Keen up (even though no one has played it yet but me... lol).

Keeping everything unique is a big challenge. I mean, how many times can you make big-long-row-of-bricks interesting? But I devised a few things that would make the game unique in comparison to other Keen mods, and hopefully it will show.

The biggest thing I kept in mind was believability. When the game comes out, I want everyone who's playing it to believe that they're really walking around in a world made of Lego.

Because of this believability issue, there were certain shortcuts that the original Keen 1 designers could use that I couldn't take. The biggest one was gravity. In Keen 1 (and moreso in games like Mario Bros.), you had platforms that floated in the air for no reason. With Lego, though, you can't do that. Everything you build with Lego has to be somehow supported by something else underneath. Not only that, but a big long platform can't only be supported on one side, because that would never stay upright in the real world, so every single block in the entire game is somehow connected with the ground in such a way that it could concievably exist in real life. Some blocks I have hanging from the "ceiling", and if I have a castle or hut with an actual background, I can have the Lego blocks floating in the air, because you can easily assume that they're supported from behind, but it's all fairly believable.

Designing the world map right was especially important. When it started, it was basically just a sea of green. I quickly realized that walking around on that would get really monotonous (not to mention sickening), and since that was the level that would be the most seen of any in the game, I had to add a lot of scenery to the level areas.
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Post by KeenRush »

Ah, detailed building - I love that with Keen levels and legos. :) On the next project I'm going to plan everything well and do it pretty detailed..
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Post by grelphy »

Note: complex levels are easier to design on paper than a computer screen.

Another note: difficult levels that get that way by repetetive perfect-timing sequences are boring (spike, space, yorp...). Difficult levels should be difficult in other ways.

Yet another note: I always try to keep "invisible" traps to a minimum... It's much more fun to lure someone into an obvious trap with points. (Muhahahaha!)

Edit: another thing. I just thought up a couple of hints for people actually playing these levels...

5. Everything we (the good level designers) do has a reason. Trust me.

4. If a secret area seems too good to be true, it probably is.

3. If it seems to deadly to be true, it's probably that, too.

2. Secret areas are everywhere. That doesn't mean they're all full of points.

and the number one hint: Be jumpy. Very jumpy. (jumpiness will save you many lives.)

heh heh heh...
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re: level design

Post by XkyRauh »

holy cow, Spleen, that was an epic article... but from the sounds of it, you're really cramping yourself by working with Keen:Vorticons. after working with trigger-happy systems in Starcraft and custom Dukematch stuff, i can't imagine coming back to a block-based editor and having hopes the way you do! that's amazing.

level design has always been my weakpoint, and my Keen1 mod really got slammed for it--my tiles are just plain boring. to be honest, i think that level design isn't something that can be formulated and analyzed--it's something unique to each person, like a fingerprint. Person A will design A-type levels, and enjoy playing A-type levels. Person B will do the same for B-type stuff. that's why not everyone likes Game A or Game B. that's also why we have so many review magazines and articles ;-) Gamer A will review Game A very favorably, and assuming that the Reader is type A as well, they should go out and buy that game! but Gamer B won't like it so much.

phooey.

as far as level design goes, i think "what would i want to do in this situation?" i design all my levels in a way that i think would be fun to play. in one of my Keen1 mod levels, i said "hey, it'd be cool to be blasted up a vertical passage by the plasti-wrap guns!" so i did that. i didn't really care if it was plausible, or if it made sense... however, i did care to playtest it a lot to make sure the player wasn't likely to get trapped.

if you're playtesting levels you made, and you're getting bored or frustrated... something's wrong. if you've been working on it for 6 hours and are just plain sick of it, back off and take a break--but if it's stale when you get back to it, re-think things. friends are good. let friends playtest areas extensively. i had 3 different guys playtesting my mod, and i tweaked the point values for my levels accordingly (that turned out to be a mistake in the long run, too... originally my levels had 'too many' points, and my playtesters were earning multiple Keens on each level... my changes ended up being too drastic)

bottom line from me: you can't please everyone, so at least start with yourself :-D

--Xky
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What if...?

Post by CommanderSpleen »

I have also some experience on Duke 3D levels - though I didn't finish almost any, because I always deleted them before finishing them totally, and I didn't like that so much.
You delete a lot of stuff, KeenRush. Too bad, too. Next time you go to delete something, though, send it my way. And every time after that, even if only to save you from yourself. I'm sure you've thrown out a whole trove of amazing ideas. Often the greatest ideas are the ones that are retrieved from the scrap basket.
One story has it that [Walt Disney] would often sift through wastepaper baskets to see what they contained. The following day, he would get his assistants to go over what he had found, claiming that these bits sometimes held great ideas!"
- How to Think Like a Millionaire (p. 201)
I keep my old ideas as often as I can. They often tend to find thier way into backwater areas of my constant reorganisation of pretty much everything around me and turn up weeks or months, or even years later, offering fresh new ideas when I look at them from a detatched perspective.
In fact, I find that when I leave certain projects that I am stuck on completely out of my mind for a while, then come back to them days, weeks, months, years later, I'll be innundated with all sorts of ideas, and even entirely new and more efficient ways to carry out certain things, sometimes warranting the project be started over (and usually when this happens, I'll recreate a better version of the original in an incredibly short time, and make a lot of progress in implementing the newer ideas).
But this tends to delay a lot of my projects--that's why much of what I've created in the past has not been seen by those beyond my direct contacts (and very few at that, for the most part). The trick, I guess, is to forge a mind that constantly looks at things from a new perspective. Generally I can do this, but it seems almost invariable that when I get a certain way into a project I will become too accustomed to it to continue, finding all sorts of faults and unsatisfactory details (incredibly minor ones at that.)

*takes nine-week trek back to the topic*

*gets sidetracked by a butterfly*

Actually, much of what you're saying is the sort of thing I've been intentionally cutting back on recently (such as "I'm going to..."). These are a few guidelines I've been following lately:

1. Never to speak, in general conversation, of ideas I plan to put into action. Instead, listen to what others say--it's amazing what ideas are placed into your lap when you listen closely enough.
2. Only to work on a project when I have a reason--never to simply sit down and try to make some progress without knowing where I want to go.

*takes deep breath*
I mean, how many times can you make big-long-row-of-bricks interesting?
Jazz Jackrabbit did this well, though there were a lot of different enemies and things to keep the novelty value up. Maybe play through an episode to find some ideas to Jazz up your mod...

In fact, perhaps a general tip would be to play as many different style platformers as you can. Keep in mind that there's always another way to do anything and if you take a basic level template from another game (or even from the game you're modding) it's possible to create a completely new level, even if it has similar challenges or structure. (Basic mind games like mazes, wordsearches and crosswords are a classic example of this. One could go on forever creating different variations of these puzzles and still people keep coming back for more. Keep this in mind at all times.)
The biggest thing I kept in mind was believability.
5. Everything we (the good level designers) do has a reason. Trust me.
To keep things organic and purposeful is one of the cardinal rules I always follow when creating things of intellible value (as opposed to purely aesthetic value, for instance.) Whenever I do something, I always ask myself, "Why would this be?" If one of your chief aims is believability, then you mustn't leave the player thinking, "That can't work..."

Give each part of the level a reason, purpose, meaning, whether it be physical placement of the level tiles or a part of the storyline that explains why you can get away with certain tiles being where they are.
Designing the world map right was especially important ... and since that was the level that would be the most seen of any in the game, I had to add a lot of scenery to the level areas.
That's the thing about the map... it's the one that the player sees most often, so if it starts to feel stale, you're in trouble because the player is going to keep getting sicker and sicker of your map and is likely to get distracted from the game easily (especially if your levels are particularly difficult.)
Strategically placed backgrounds can easily give the player an impression that the map is alive (at least for a bit longer than usual). Things like a launchpad with a rocket or small village areas on the inaccessible areas of the map to keep the world alive, unusual flora to fascinate the player, later areas in plain view to amp up the player's anticipation. Simple things, but very effective.
Remember, the player is carrying out two roles: Commander Keen (or a substitute character), and him/herself. Things that would fascinate Keen are likely to fascinate the player, so 'useless' background objects serve a purpose in making the world feel like it is more than 'bare essentials'. It gets the player involved in the game, thinking 'wow' because they're seeing things through Keen's eyes. Mysteries that the player can't explore add a lot of interest to the map (try to avoid frustrating elements that logically Keen should be able to explore, like purely aesthetic caves or buildings where Keen can walk--that has the opposite effect).
And yet, at the same time, the 'player-view' factor must be taken into consideration--things that Keen wouldn't be able to see. Distant levels, beyond a range of mountains or hovering in space, for example, excite the player and keep them moving on in the game. Small details that probably wouldn't be noticed on a first glance make the player want to find more such 'easter eggs' even after playing the game many times through.
Be strategic with such subtle details. A huge patch of identical space platforms or the same plant growing in every single corner, or even too many future levels in plain view, are detrimental to your cause. Think 'glimpse' and you can't go wrong.
Note: complex levels are easier to design on paper than a computer screen.
Haha. How true that is. Man, I had some fun building Jim's Complex in Duke3D. I drew it on paper once when I was on holiday, and it took me perhaps a couple of hours, spread across the course of a weekend or something. I more or less copied it line-for-line into Build, and it turned out very well when I went into 3D mode. But after messing around with textures and playtesting the level, I found a lot of 'complications' involving walls with rooms on either side--I was using masked walls with blocking on, and that meant tripmines couldn't be placed on them and it generally dragged down the believability somewhat.
So that meant I had to go around and change all the walls so there was actually a physical space between them. And then came details like adjusting the size of rooms to fit textures, messing around trying to get slopes to work right, working out where to put the items and weapons (much of that was planned on paper, but a lot of modification was done in the end), placing DukeMatch positions, adjusting the flow of the level (changing which passageways were connected to what rooms, adding vent shafts in various places, and so on). It was a lot of effort, but the end result was incredible, IMHO.
I just wish I still had an incentive to create Duke3D levels... there's a lot more I want to do, but everyone seems quite attached to more advanced technology.
I really can't wait to see my ComplexLevelTheory in practice with the Keen1 engine... rooms with several entries/exits, about three rooms to get from one side of the level to the other, all manner of passageways and shafts, and a hell of a lot of strategic secret areas and intertwiningness.
Another note: difficult levels that get that way by repetetive perfect-timing sequences are boring (spike, space, yorp...). Difficult levels should be difficult in other ways.
Originality is its own reward. Think outside the box. That one maxim never goes wrong.
Yet another note: I always try to keep "invisible" traps to a minimum... It's much more fun to lure someone into an obvious trap with points. (Muhahahaha!)
Especially when you get to mock them from beyond the grave with a little 'TEEHEE' SGA sign... >;D

Excellent tips for gameplay there. Indeed if you can make levels that are best played like this, you're doing well.
holy cow, Spleen, that was an epic article... but from the sounds of it, you're really cramping yourself by working with Keen:Vorticons. after working with trigger-happy systems in Starcraft and custom Dukematch stuff, i can't imagine coming back to a block-based editor and having hopes the way you do! that's amazing.
I just love making games and modifying games, no matter what technology they use. To me, there's really no difference if I'm creating a level for Duke3D or for Commander Keen. It's really about creating a certain experience than anything specific to the technology. Making a Keen level, a Duke3D level, an entire game, a novel, a movie... all create a particular experience, though they each use various techniques. They awaken something in people's imaginations, and offer a glimpse of something beyond. That's what I intend to do with anything I create.
level design has always been my weakpoint, and my Keen1 mod really got slammed for it--my tiles are just plain boring.
In general, KeenX absolutely rocked. The entire thing was highly original and completely stunning. The problem is it got monotonous after a while. The same tiles level after level dragged the whole down a fair bit. This goes for levels as well as the main map. I got stuck on a couple of levels and after dying many times got frustrated and left. Until the first of these I had been playing the game non-stop, itching to see what came next, but afterwards the novelty of the graphics dimmed somewhat. The levels kept me guessing to the end, though. I'm sure I wouldn't have become quite as frustrated with the level design in general if there was newer stuff to look at along the way, intriguing details and such. The BWB at the start was great, and the small entrance section. But the rest of the map was more or less a variation on a theme.
A great mod, but a lot of things that could have made for a lot more replayability and play-throughability (less frustration caused by the only incentive being passing the level).
i didn't really care if it was plausible, or if it made sense... however, i did care to playtest it a lot to make sure the player wasn't likely to get trapped.
Following through on unlikely ideas certainly does make for novelty. Things that nobody would think of. Or, even better, things that everybody thinks of but thinks, "Nah. That can't be done."
And even if you can't follow through on an idea, it's always possible to do something similar in a different way.
let friends playtest areas extensively.
Heeheehee... the levels I've been experimenting with lately have been particularly taxing, and I've had a couple of fellow JimSoftians playtesting them... it gets to the point where they fall into the same trap again and again, then finally make it past it and die on a different point, and turn around immediately and attempt to hit me. It's quite entertaining, but not the sort of result I'm ultimately looking for. The levels I've been messing with are somewhat cramped and repetitive, which are things that need to be avoided in the long run.
bottom line from me: you can't please everyone, so at least start with yourself :-D
That's exactly it. I create games for me, first and foremost. And if I like a game a lot, then it's got to be good. I would never release a game if I found it unsatisfactory by my own standards. This requires objectivity, though, because there is a difference between my own standards as a game developer and my own standards as a gamer. The trick is discerning these two and not getting bogged down on little details that I only don't like because I've been seeing the same thing over and over.

That's my four dollars thirty-five, anyway. A lot of what I've said here goes beyond level design, and even transcends game development itself, but I got some thoughts across.

>Commander Spleen
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Post by KeenRush »

Great post there Spleeny. :)
Just came to my mind, yesterday I made quite cool level to my mod. Maybe this topic has affected me a bit..
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Post by Snaily »

One thing comes to mind when reading this; it is a general rule in game design to NEVER EVER make the player feel that there wasn't anything he could do to prevent being killed. Having trial-and-error traps might be fun for the creator, but is it fun for the player when he falls through the floor the fourth time, promply getting killed by some spikes? No.

Edit: spelling
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re: trapped

Post by XkyRauh »

Snaily, what you say has a lot more relevance in light of the newer 3d games with auto-saves... i HATE auto-saves.

--Xky
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Post by KeenRush »

True.. Saving should be done that
1. user can save where he wants to
2. and name his/her save games! It's annoying if there's a lot save game names like this "John's boat 11:12 03/11/03".
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Post by Snaily »

Maybe; nevertheless, there's nothing that gets me to <ESC><D> as fast as some mod creator enjoying himself with trial and error puzzles.

While 3D and 2D game level design are very different, there are some basic concepts that trascends dimensions (top that if you can!).
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You left nothing else to be said, but I'll say it anyway.

Post by JosephBurke »

^Agreed, though sometimes a little bending of that concept can be fun. There would just have to be a way to get out and enough time for the player to react.

:) walking along
:| oh no!
:o it's gonna be a close one
:P whew! I made it
;) good level!
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Post by Snaily »

Yes, that works very well.

All "chase" or "runaway" levels in non-keen based games are entirely based on this - but I can only remember one in keen; Xkylyrs second-to-last in Episode X.

Another acceptable, and used, idea in later Keen games are tricks making use of the look up or down before the player attempts a jump. Something similar could be made in the Vorticon series by making a small "dead-end" path that lets the player see what can be expected when he takes the real road.

Another thing is that it is usually more acceptable to make "evil" things when it is not the main flow of the level that is interrupted (bad example - the last hut in Keen 1). As was said above, having some "chance" or "you didn't see THIS coming" areas isn't that bad when only points and greed are concerned.

Just remember, there is no such thing as a "obvious" trap. Level design differ so much even in commercial maps that most players will regard lots of loot as an encouragement from the designers - not as bait. And come on, we've all played some unofficial Keen levels that use teddy bears as the main background tile - why would two in an easily accessable spot easily be spotted as a trap?

This is an interesting thread - may it live long and prosper.
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Post by grelphy »

Which was that last hut? The one with all the pink blocks, icicles and keycards?

In any case, anybody who overuses any point item other than lollipops deserves to die. And then some. The best possible way to lay out points in a level is to use lollipops (or other low-scoring items) ONLY and just use those books and teddy bears as bait and/or as reward for getting past something difficult. Wise players will quickly realize that going after big-time points is getting them killed, and will avoid them. All the other players deserve to die anyway. (Hey, if they can't measure up intelligence-wise to Keen, why should they play as him?)

Worse than backgrounds of teds, IMHO, is backgrounds of ray guns, or, worse yet joysticks... who can stand the contstant WEEOO-WEEOO-WOOP-WOOP-WOOP! of collecting target items... AARRGHH!

One more note. (Yeah, I know, I'm starting to drone.) always keep an eye out for falling off the bottom of the screen-it may be effective, but players listening with sound on will hear keen land before he finally dies, and may think that they're still alive-very disconcerting. I try to avoid that where possible.

Speaking of sound, the most underused sprites in the Vorticons trilogy? The ones that shoot. Guard bots, tanks, meeps and vorti-moms, but especially the episode one tank-bots are hardly utilized in any strategic sense. And yet they form one of the most versatile weapons in the game-they can be used, with a bit of ingineuity, as firing squads lined up to blast keen as he climbs a big staircase-wicked, evil, horribly fun... and doable. I know; I've done some of my as-yet unrealeased levels that utilize tank-bots to a much fuller extent.

To illustrate:

Code: Select all

#               #
# G           #
#---       ---#
# G           #
#---       ---#
# G           #
#---        K #
#           ---#

(# is solid, - is one-way up, G is tank bot and K is keen)
They can be used in many other places as well-the prospect of wading through a tank pait is mind-numbing and surprisingly easy.

Alright, enough of my thoughts. I promise to stop now.

But...*ZAP*
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